A Shimmer in the Dark
by KaliAnn
Summary: Sequel to Journey through the Stars. Post Tartarus arc. Lucy has become a lot stronger with her new powers and responsibilities. It's a challenge to keep them under control. During a much needed vacation Lucy encounters the mortal enemies of her spirit kin, monsters! Captured and with hope dwindling Lucy must save herself before she succumbs to her transformation as a monster too
1. Beware of Monsters

_Welcome readers new and old. As I promised, this story is the sequel to Journey through the Stars. I've waited patiently for the Tartarus arc to end to write this, but since it doesn't seem in sight, I've decided to go ahead and write this story as if the Tartarus arc has ended, so if it doesn't match cannon I apologize. A reminder as well, in my last story Lucy did gain a diamond key to summon the Celestial Spirit King, so she didn't have to sacrifice Aquarius in this story. I hope that you enjoy this story a lot. Please support my original novel "_Battle for the Stars" _by ordering it or requesting your library to carry it. Thank you. Also Happy Thanksgiving!  
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* * *

Underneath the earth and through a magical veil, an unknown realm stretched across the land of Fiore. It was comprised of endless series of caves, abysses, and tunnels that was the home to thousands of different kinds of creatures. These creatures loved to create fear, panic, and nightmares. Many humans who encountered them didn't survive long and if they did, many ended up changed for life. The creatures of myths and legends, inspiration for horror movies, lived together preparing for the day they ruled the world humans. They were monsters!

Deep in the realm, known by the residents as, The Endless Realm of Monsters, lay the capital city of Shadow Crystal, in the midst of a large grotto. Millions of glowworms living on the ceiling created light to see. The city's layout resembled a giant cage with a padlock where the palace sat. The palace was built in Gothic manor style complete with a high wrought steel gates and thick walls. Ornate gargoyles, detailed spires and sprawling designs on the gray bricks, highlighted the grand arches making up the four halls. Detailed crystal glass windows showed stories of triumphant victories. They style carried inside with flying buttresses, arches, and grand ceilings. It was truly a grand design.

Inside an old drawing-room converted to a viewing theater sat a single being covered in the shadows. The outline revealed the being to be a male, but no features could be seen. Resting on one of the many seats was a long haired gold and black Keukegen. He whined a bit as a Hibagon, (who looked like a well groomed butler with his black furred body and white furred hands and feet), served him a meat snack. Standing tall, he walked over towards the shadow, but the man shook his head. As the Hibagon sat down with the pet, the hidden male watched his large lacremeia viewing screen.

"Restart play from the beginning. Enhance sound and image. Speed 3," a polished and mannered voice, with a tiny hint of an accent spoke. The lacremeia screen complied starting the show once more at the beginning. Once more he watched as the start of a Celestial Spirit Mage's journey began. A beautiful port could be seen as the picture zoomed into a magic store where a blond hair girl appeared. The man ordered the image to pause as the girl tried to get a lower price with her looks.

"She's very pretty isn't she Daichi?" the man asked. The Hibagon nodded and spoke with a grunting voice. "She's pretty for a human. She needs lessons in enticing men. She's trying too hard." The man nodded absentminded before asking play to fast forward to a certain segment. This time the image showed the girl doing her best to command Taurus, though the disgusting Celestial Spirit spent more time ogling his mistress then fighting. The two beings watched a bit more carefully taking in every detail of the girl's actions as well as her companions.

After a while the man ordered the video to stop. "Is something wrong Master? You don't seem to be enjoying yourself. Perhaps I should change the video. Clearly this girl has some talent, but she's unworthy of you. She screams and cowers so often. Her dreams aren't attainable. I do believe there are stronger, beautiful, and less crazy girls to view as a possible match to the ..."

The majordomo was interrupted by his master, whose tone became slightly colder. "Don't change the video Daichi. What you see as weakness and insanity, I see potential and growth. After all, being sheltered and refined most of your life, can make you act in unexpected ways. Her common sense, dedication, and willingness to risk it all for a prize, a golden key amongst demons and evil mages, is testimony to her true character. So far nothing she's done has proven she's _not_ the one we've been searching for. Now let's resume the video."

The video showed many scenes. The girl mage fighting for her guild and refusing to be hidden. Even in the direst situations, such a being tortured by the Iron Dragonslayer her courage never faltered. Watching the mage summon another Celestial Spirit to aid her teammate was noble. He chuckled a bit as she tore her clothes off and left her family. "I approve of her casting her family aside. That man didn't deserve the title of father in my opinion."

The next few arcs pleased the man greatly. He pointed out how much stronger the mage had gotten. Her personality changed, still retaining some of that innocence, but she also became strong willed, brave, and never back down from a fight. Even in the face of defeat she was willing to lay her life down for others. The more he watched the greater he respect this Celestial Mage.

It took another hour to get through all the other arcs in the video. Edoloas, Tenrou, returning after seven years in stasis. The Magic Games and the Sun Village arcs impressed him, but the best one was her quest to become a The True Star Maiden. Gifted with great powers and responsibility, it was no wonder those stuck up demons lost. Turning off the screen the man rose. "Nori, come here." The doglike creature barked joining his master by his side as Daichi escorted his master out the room. "There is no doubt in my mind old friend. No matter how much Taro protest, he's wrong. Star Maiden Princess Lucy Heartfillia Celestial, is the one I need. Our entire way of life, the dreams of the people, rest on capturing the girl and have her brought here."

"Master, I don't disagree with you. While the court majority will follow your recommendation, the retrieval of the Princess will not happen without Taro's approval. Indeed, the only way to gain his approval would be for the mage to prove herself in combat against his champion.. It would hurt your reputation if Lucy failed."

"I'm well aware of that, I know many still don't believe I earned my title and rank because of what I was. This is the last time I will have to prove that the prophecy wasn't wrong." A bark from Nori confirmed his pet believed in him. Daichi sighed, but didn't argue. He only hoped his master would succeed where everyone else failed.

* * *

At the moment the Princess of the Celestial Spirits was on a short visit 'home.'" After what started out as a never-ending battle against the demon guild, had finally been resolved. The world was safe once more and Fairy Tail had become stronger than ever. Now in her room, in her Star Maiden Princess attire, she sat at her desk in her nook writing a few pages down of the Celestial Spirits heroism during the battle with Tartarus.

_I give thanks to my new family for without their help our guild would have been defeated long before I used the diamond keys to summon forth my adoptive parents. I recall the stunned expression on Maud Geer when my King Father confronted him using his Meteor Blade to counter his thorn magic. Under Queen Mother protection Comet Scepter the demons that had attacked me received my pain times three. Though they couldn't remain long on the Earth, their presences allowed me to gather the strength to activate my Star Maiden form holding Tartarus off until our guild could come up with a counter attack. "_

Lucy paused in her writing, glancing over to her guild stamp. No longer was it surrounded by four symbols of Fairy Tail's great powers. Using them in the fight had nearly killed her. After the fight she had spoken with Capricorn, Hu, and Crux, trying to understand the reason she could wield the powers during the battle for the True Star Maiden only to almost perish in another fight. Her spirits explained that enhanced celestial energy had allowed her to safely use the spells. Since she hadn't tried to use them since, her body didn't have the strength to use them a second time. Upon hearing that Lucy had made some difficult choices.

First, she had returned the powers to Master Markov and Mavis Vermillion's ghost. Mavis had tried to persuade her to keep them until she gave in to Lucy's pleading. Then she had gone to visit Hoshi in Starwatcher Village. The green haired priestess had been surprised by the visit. Lucy had assured her this wasn't a check in to see if the priestess continued her atonement. Instead, against much protest, Hoshi had finally accept Lucy's blessing for Space Magic, promising to ensure no one misused its power. Giving away these powers had made her slightly weaker, but made it easier to handle her other powers and responsibilities.

Getting up, Lucy stretched a bit and checked her Celestial Watch. The watch was able to keep time for both the Celestial Spirit World and Earthland, so she could leave without being gone to many days. "Oh, I've been here later than I thought. I have to return home. Better get an escort. Ardtree and Beteniforven I need you!" She reached up pulling a rope to ring a bell. Immediately two little brown new stars toddled in the room. One was starting to look a small tree and the other was resembling cursive numbers. "Princess, Princess! We're here to serve you!" they both chirped in high pitch tones.

Lucy laughed, scooping up the two spirits, she hugged them. When she nuzzled them with her face the little spirits started to blink a multitude of star colors. Once a new star Celestial Spirit was given a name, they started to grow and change to resemble their name. The Naming of the Stars, was one of the many responsibilities that her Queen Mother presided over, but occasionally she allowed Lucy to take part in the process. Lucy had personally named these two and declared them her escort companions and little helpers. You could see their pride in their eyes with being charged with such a great responsibility.

"Princess must you leave us now? We still haven't had a chance to play in the enchanted playground yet," little Ardtree pouted. She tightened her branch hand grip on Lucy's right hand. On the opposite side Beteniforven tugged on her left. "Can't we got to Earth with you? How can we help you if we're not on Earth with you? It's our joy to serve you!"

"Ardtree, Beteniforven, I've told you before, without your own keys you can't leave the Celestial Spirit World. I promise I'm working hard to create your bronze keys, but it will take some time. You two just need to be a little more patient okay?"

The new star spirits grumbled and nodded. Smiling Lucy let go of their hands and entered a small alcove that opened a preset gate to her apartment. Reaching down she patted them on the head. "Take care of yourselves okay? You're the inspiration for your fellow spirits. They look up to you to teach them how to be good spirit and loyal friends. Until we meet again." The spirits waved their hands as their Princess disappeared through the gate.

* * *

In Magnolia Town a light show could be seen from the windows of Lucy's apartment. The two men in the fishing boat watched the show from the river, never getting tired of the light show and trumpeting. The landlady grumbled a bit, before going back to work. Stepping out of the gate that looked like grand castle doors Lucy reverted to her normal clothes as her powers settled down inside her.

Yawning a bit, Lucy contemplated about not showing up to dinner at Erza favorite restaurant. No, if I miss Erza's dinner she's sure to come after me with a sword. Besides, I promised to tell them about my visit. Better get going. With a quick change of clothes Lucy was out the door, making sure to deadbolt her door to prevent unwanted guests.

At the restaurant it seemed that Natsu and Happy were once more in competition to see who could eat the most food in one sitting. Gray was adding more ice to his drink and Erza was eating her favorite desert; cheesecake. Wendy was talking with Carla about new ideas for styling her short hair. Lucy smiled, even after only a few weeks passed since the crises, her friends quickly returned to their normal routine. Well, almost all of them. For some reason Natsu had grown skittish around her, sometimes not talking to her at all.

"Sorry, I'm late. You wouldn't believe how easy it is to lose track of time when I'm visiting my new home. I hope you left some food for me to eat," she joked.

"Do you really need to eat more food? You're already heavy enough," Happy teased her. He chuckled at his own joke. Patting his full stomach, he asked her what she had been up to when she visited home. He didn't notice the twitch from Natsu. The Fire Dragonslayer still was having a bit of problem accepting her new role and that she wasn't the same as before her quest.

Lucy waved her hand a little. She launched into a story about helping name some new star spirits before having court to listen to the others spirits about any problems between them and their owners. Wendy was very interested asking questions about her duties.

Soon the conversation changed as each of the friends took their turns describing what they had done with their newfound powers. Erza, was working hard to learn how to fight again without her senses after regaining them. She started to demonstrate with one of her swords before they protested that they didn't want to be kicked out of the establishment. She concede and ordered more cheesecake. Wendy talked about how much Carla and her were training to master her dragon force. Before long Gray and Natsu got in a fight about whose new power was greater. If the manager hadn't come over and warned them about fighting they would have been forced to cook food for the patrons all week.

They talked for ages it seemed. Everyone was doing a lot better. Reconstruction of the guild building was nearly complete. Soon jobs would be flowing in again only they would be a distraction. Until they gathered more information about Zeref and Acnologia, they would remain a threat. If they didn't stop them, the devastation brought on by those two evils would eventually destroy not only Fiore, but the entire Earth as well.

The group left to head to their homes Natsu and Happy opted to walk Lucy to her home. He was quiet as he watched Happy and Lucy tease one another before they started fighting. Happy activated his wings flying out of reach from Lucy's celestial pulses. "Just you wait Happy! One day your nine lives will be up! Ugh, sometimes I wonder how you can live with him. Hey, what's wrong Natsu? You seem very sad for some reason."

Natsu's head shot up as he hurriedly shook his hands and head. "Me sad? I have nothing to be sad about! Igneel's back, the Guild is safe, and we all still have our magic. Life couldn't be greater." He picked up the pace running ahead surprising his best friend. After all, he was supposed to walking her home.

Why does he keep running away from me? I thought after this last crises we'd grown even closer. He doesn't even attempt to get into my apartment anymore. I wish I knew what was wrong she thought.

I can't keep running off every time she attempts to get closer. I know she was just being a concerned friend, but it made my heart flutter for a moment. I can't like _like_ her can I? Lucy is just good, loyal, and fun partner that is. Okay, she's a princess and has great magic. How could I have been so oblivious that she was cute before? I wish Igneel could help me with this!

Before they knew it, they had reached Lucy's apartment. Once again Lucy tried to invite him to come inside, but he refused. His excuse this time was he needed to wash his clothes, a blatant lie considering how clothing didn't matter to him. Still she let him go home wondering when he would stop acting so strange.

* * *

The next day, Lucy was in the practice grounds behind the guild. Since Tartarus attack and defeat, every mage in the guild had been practicing their magic again and again to grow stronger than before. They couldn't afford to be caught off guard again. Face had been destroyed, but who knew for certain if something like that still existed out there? With so many threats out there in the world it was more important than ever that Lucy master her new abilities.

Focusing on her inner spirit, she drew the energy out letting it surround her very being. Bringing her palms together and straight up starry yellow energy crackled together, becoming a solid beam of light. "Celestial Magic: Energy Beam!" A beam of tightly bound energy shot from her palms thinning as it hit the target. There was a small crackle, then, the entire target was obliterated!

Twirling around on one foot she sent the magic to the tip of her free leg. "Celestial Magic: Spirit Ribbon!" A series of fluttering gold, silver, and platinum ribbons twisted through the air wrapping themselves tightly around trees and cut outs. Jumping into the air several darts shot at her from hidden traps. "Celestial Magic: Shield Guard!" A diamond shape shield formed around her. Sweat trickled down her forehead as she pushed her magic to keep the shield up.

When she landed on the ground, she panted a little. Her reserves had barely been tapped. Grasping three keys at random she prepared for the next part of her training. "I open the Gates of Water Bearer, the Compass, and the Leporidae! Appear Aquarius, Pyxis, and Yue!" The area became engulfed in smoke as the three Celestial Spirits appeared before her.

"You dare to summon me without water?! Lucy, how cruel are you?" Aquarius shouted. She prepared to attack, only to look down and realize she was in a small fountain. Pyxis had landed on a branch of a nearby tree and Yue had already raced to Lucy jumping into her welcomed arms. "LUCY! You haven't summoned me lately! Why not?" the little rabbit asked nuzzling against her mistress's chest.

"Yue, I may have the powers over the Spirit Gates, but I'm not going to break the contracts so easily. I'm still trying to master how to call for a Spirit I don't own from other people." Lucy giggled. It was true that she had the power to call forth any spirit regardless of contracts and ownership, but so far the only two she had managed were Yukino's silver Spirits, Polaris the baby bear, and Deneb, the Swan. Not to mention it only happened when Yukino came to see her a few days after the final battle. The Star Maiden Princess, suspected it worked only because of her close friendship with Yukino and trust her spirits had in her.

"Really, sometime I wonder if you forget who you are Lucy. The Queen herself granted you this power," Aquarius reminded her. Hopping out of the fountain she sort of slithered over to the girl as Pyxis came to rest on top of their summoner head. Aquarius used two fingers to tap on the girl's forehead. The Celestial birthmark appeared on Lucy's head.

"You are the True Star Maiden, our beloved Princess, and our greatest friend ever. Even before these blessing had been bestowed upon you, your potential was vast. Think back to the battle with Tartarus. You held your own long before you switched into what you call your, Celestial Spirit form, using your immense powers to fight."

Pyxis crowed, squawking and waving his wings in front of her face. She beat back his wings away getting the message. All this practice wouldn't amount to anything if she didn't believe she could exceed her limits. "I get what you're saying, I really do. That's why I'm practicing so much. I have to master the basics if I'm to use my magic to its fullest at any time. So let's practice! Aquarius! Water Beam! Pyxis, Yue! Use your powers to redirect it and evaporate it now!"

The three spirits sprang into action. A jet of powerful water tore across the training grounds heading toward Team Shadow Gear. The trio turned to deal with the attack only for Pyxis to dive in front of the attack and lead it back towards Lucy. Yue started to run faster and faster, creating some heat which evaporated the water. The three spirits looked very pleased with themselves of having worked so well together. They worked together on a few more moves before Lucy released them back home.

"Boy, I'm exhausted and I still have to tend to my duties this afternoon. I'm going to have to take a break and relax a bit before I carry out my duties. I guess a princess's work is never done." Stretching a lot she headed to the guild for food and a nice relaxing bath. She deserved special treatment once and while for all the work she did for both the Fairy Tail guild and the Celestial Spirits.

* * *

Most afternoons could be considered harder than practicing her magic. Carrying out her responsibilities and using her Star Maiden powers could be tricky. The first thing she wanted to do was finish creating new bronze keys to give to local magic shop. Since she gave her first batch to the local magic store young girls hoping to become great Celestial Mages one day, had been begging their parents to get them more. Like Plue , the new bronze keys didn't need a lot of magic to summon the spirit.

Sitting in the guild, she ignored the fighting going on by the others as concentrated on her responsibilities. Creating new keys was a delicate process, one she would have preferred doing at her apartment, but the magic energy was higher here with all the mages fighting all the time. The extra magic in the air helped her create the keys. Besides, she had casted a protective barrier to protect herself from any chaos out there.

Raising and twisting her right hand in the air, Lucy called the extra magic towards her, morphing it into celestial magic. Looking down she saw the fourteen key molds that Queen Mother bestowed upon her yesterday during the naming ceremony. Each mold was slightly different from the others. Inside one half was melted copper and the other was tin. Snapping her left fingers small flecks of brown spirit energy landed in the two halves of the mold. Now the tricky part. "I the Star Maiden Princess, command the magic of the stars, to fulfill my wishes. Bind your power to this key and form the bond to create a gateway path so Celestial Spirits might journey to Earthland!"

The glittering gold magic flew into the mix, magically pressing the two molds together. Surges of magic could be felt as she passed her hands over each key bestowing a name to each one. A small click and rush of wind filled her little area as the molds fell apart revealing brand new bronze keys. She looked at each of them searching for any signs of imperfection. There wasn't any indicating she had done the process correctly. Now it was time to take them to the store.

Upon approaching the store she could already see six little girls bouncing up and down eager to get a new spirit to play with. They were part of Lucy's new training camp for budding Celestial Spirit Mages"Look its Lucy!" one girl with brown pigtails shouted. The girls swarmed her jumping up and down. "Did you make more bronze keys for us?" a girl with a freckled face and orange hair asked, tugging on Lucy sleeve. "Can you teach us how to summon again? I haven't been able to do it on my yet," another one said. "When will we be able to use our magic like you do with those spells?" "How do we become Star Maidens?"

"Okay, okay, stop swarming me little ones. You can each get one key, but first you need to pay for it inside. After all, the clerk needs money to live doesn't he?" The little girls nodded their heads and reluctantly followed her the door tingling behind her. "Mr. Avalor, I got a new batch of bronze keys with me and some little ones who want to buy them."

"Thank goodness, they've been driving me crazy asking when the next batch was coming in. Any chance to you can speed up production of these?" Avalor asked taking the small checkered pouch from Lucy. The man counted each key making sure he had an even twelve units. "Let's see 200,000,000 jewels for the entire lot correct?" The Star Maiden nodded accepting her payment.

He had barely put the keys on a display tray when his tiny customers brushed past Lucy to get a look at the new keys. Each of them were exclaiming over the pictures and reading the names inscribed on the clavicle. Less than ten minutes later, each little one had a new key and followed Lucy out to the park where their lessons were held.

The little girls, (Summer, Autumn, Honey, Heather, Abby, Beth), sat down on the ground looking up with some hero worship in their eyes at their mentor. The Fairy Tail mage couldn't keep the smile of pride off her face. "Alright before we try summoning again, let's review from our lesson last week. What are two most important rules Celestial Mages must follow? Summer?"

The freckled face girl cleared her throat and stood up. She started reciting the rules perfectly. "Celestial Mages must abide by their contracts with their spirits. Our bond with them is a sign of trust and we never go back on the promises we make with them. A proper Celestial Mage is friends with her spirits, not their owner and we also treat them with respect and not use them as shields."

"Very good Summer, you can sit down. Who can tell me what keys are counted as? Beth?"

"Units, the more units we collect the more friends we have."

Lucy nodded at her, reviewing their first lessons about Celestial Spirit Keys and asked if any of them had practice the summoning technique. They all had, but hadn't summoned their spirits yet. As of yet they had two bronze keys, but hadn't made contracts yet. Today they would summon their first spirit and make their contracts. After correcting their stances and making sure they had the words down she asked them to use a bit of magic power to call forth the spirits.

Each girl did as she was told. Tiny starburst went off as for the first time, the little new star Spirits stepped foot on Earthland. The girls giggled in delight cheering themselves on. Their new Spirits looked at their new mistresses. They talked with the girls for a while getting to know them before their mentor reminded them to make the contract. She watched carefully making sure the contracts were fair and that the bond between Spirits and girls was a perfect match. She didn't want any trouble down the line forcing her to pass judgment and strip them of their powers. Finally class was over and everyone left on good terms.

It was very late by the time Lucy got back to her apartment. The rest of responsibilities had taken up her whole afternoon. At least no one was misusing their spirits, another sacred site had been found as the nearby townspeople did their best to restore and protect it. No one was in need of healing, no ambassador duties today and no one was ready to be a Star Maiden. Everything was good in the world. "Ugh it's been a long day, I'm going to bed now. If anyone is in this apartment without my permission I'll zap you to next Tuesday if you stay here."

Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, she slipped under her covers falling asleep in her clothes on the bed. Within seconds she was snoring away exhausted by today's activities. She would have to repeat these activities again in two or three days. A Star Maiden Princess's duty was never done.

* * *

That night it was a new moon so the skies were dark. Clouds covered patches of the sky blocking the stars. Inside her little apartment Lucy clutched her sheets tightly. Sweat was perspiring from her entire body. She kicked her legs out knocking several of her plushies to the ground. Off and on a golden aura pulsed around her body. "No, get away! Leave me alone!"

_Lucy was running through the woods sounds of loud hoof beats following her. For an hour now she'd be running through the mountains and into the forest avoiding thick black inky limbs or holes in the ground. Stumbling, she picked herself up and dove through a bush getting lots of little scratches. "Got to get away, got to get away" she muttered to herself. _

_ The forest was endless, everywhere she turned there was more trees blocking her way. Terrifying screams could be heard nearly causing her ears to bleed. She reached for her waist to grab her keys, but they weren't there and neither was her Fleur de Lease! _

_ "Where are my keys? I wouldn't leave them lying around!" Lucy twisted around suddenly realizing she was in her pajamas with no shoes. She didn't have time to ponder this as a loud braying was heard close by. Whatever creature was making that sound she didn't want to meet it. _

_ Her feet hit the earth leaving behind a trail of dirty prints as she continued to run. A giant spider web stretched out in front of her. Getting tangled up in it she struggled as the silk strands brushed against her arms tickling her slightly. A large spider descended from above, its jaws wide open. Screaming her head off Lucy burst free and started rolling down the hill until she came to a stop in a valley. _

_ Turning her head, she let out a gasp. "Magnolia! I just have to get to the guild." She started to get up only to fall flat on her butt as a giant black horse with a red mane and tail landed in front of her. The saddle was made out of tree bark as the rider barked out a command. The rider had the face of beautiful woman with delicate gray eyes, small nose, and a perfect smile. Long beautiful locks of black hair flowed past her shoulders and down to her waist. That was the only part of her that was normal. Her body was that of a troll, very hairy with big limbs and only a simple black pieces covering her upper chest and lower body parts. _

_ "You've lasted longer than most of my victims. Even after all the elements of a nightmare I've thrown at you, you still continue on. However this ends now," the sharp voice of the rider snapped. _

_ "Who are you? Why are you after me?" Lucy demanded, she was trembling. She was reaching inside to call upon her magic, but it refused to come. As the horse walked close the more her heart pounded. _

_ "I am Tory, the greatest Mare in existence. I've lived for centuries riding through the night, finding a human and creating a nightmare to feast upon. I shall enjoy feasting on the Star Maiden Princess dream. You will satisfy my hunger for years to come." Tory opened her mouth as a long tongue lashed out wrapping tightly around Lucy's right arm. It had sharp barbs on it that duck into her skin. _

_ "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Lucy screamed, she could feel her energy being sucked out of her body. Her pleasant dreams mixed with her fear of the nightmares around her bonded together as Tory grinned madly sucking up the dream energy. The Celestial Spirit Mage struggled, trying to free her arm, but it was no use. Dark laughter filled the air as Tory's voice taunted her. "You'll never break free from grasp. Prepare to spend an entirety with no dreams ever again!"_

_ "LET MY ARM GO!" Lucy commanded as her Celestial birthmark appeared on her forehead shining brightly. A burst of Celestial Magic traveled through the ground striking the horse who reared up and threw his rider to the ground. _

_ Tory rolled and shot up straight. She got in a defense position, her tongue lashing out. She would not be denied her feast. She lunged for Lucy, who ducked and twisted behind her. They repeated the attack three times before Lucy counter attacked. "Celestial Magic: Light of Heaven!" Tory screamed as a brilliant column of white light pushed her, the horse, and the entire nightmare vanished. _

Lucy jolted awake, her breathing hard. Looking around the room she saw nothing out-of-place. She got out of bed making her way to the sink. She filled a glass of water and drank it greedily. "Stupid nightmare. It wasn't real. Huh, what is…?" The glass shattered on the floor as Lucy stared at her right arm, there was a black serpent indentation where the Mare's tongue had wrapped around herself. It just couldn't be true, the mark proved otherwise. What she experienced had been real!

* * *

Far away in the palace Tory knelt at the feet of the shadowy male from before. "I have failed you my Lord. The girl's power was too strong for me to drain completely. It appears she has a higher resistance to our magic than most Celestial Spirit mages."

"You haven't failed me Tory. I sent you out to see how strong her mind was and she passed my expectations. Tend to your horse and head to the kitchen. I'm sure the chef has leftover dream stew to feed you."

"Of course, thank you my Lord." Tory bowed once more hurrying away as the mysterious shadow smiled. "It appears you'll be more of a challenge my precious Lucy Heartfillia. I look forward to when we meet face to face."


	2. Fearful Night Creatures

Lucy hurried into the Guild early in the morning. She wanted to check the library to see if there were any books on Mares and how to protect oneself from them. Last night had really spooked her and she felt very hesitant to tell anyone about it. To make sure no one would ask about the mark; she was wearing her Magical Games outfit with the long sleeves. Not even saying hi to Mirajane, she hurried down the steps into the library.

"Let's see, History of Magic, How to Conjure up Animals, 10 Different Ways to Magically Grow Hair? Gross!" Lucy shuddered putting the book back. Climbing the ladder she started going top to bottom looking for anything about beasts, creatures, or even monsters. Guildmaster Markov claimed Fairy Tail's library had the most diverse collection of any guild. She should have been able to find a book on what she wanted. "How can there be nothing on those topics? Erza and Gildarts have encountered several monsters on jobs. Even Gray mentioned once fighting a monster before he came to the guild. Ugh." She slid down the ladder to the floor and hurried up the stairs.

When she arrived upstairs Mirajane was busy talking with Marcao and Wakaba about their latest job. Elfman was seated at a table with Reedus, Nab, and Vijeerter giving tips about how to improve their magic. Team Thunder God ate breakfast with some of the girls. There was no sign of Team Shadow Gear. Sitting down at the bar, Lucy contemplated her next move.

"Good morning Lucy, how was your night?" Lisanna asked brightly as she placed a blueberry muffin and orange juice in front of her friend. When Lucy didn't respond, Lisanna's eyes furrowed. She gently touched Lucy's arm scaring the girl a bit. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay, you look a little unwell?"

"I'm fine, I just had a nightmare last night. Hey, do you know if someone took books from the guild library? I was looking for books on creatures or monsters and I couldn't find any."

Lisanna frowned, turning she looked at a sign out sheet on the back wall. No one had taken any books out and the inventory showed all books accounted for. "There should be at least ten books on the subject. I'll talk to my sister and the master. Maybe they can find out where the books went. Do you need them soon?"

* * *

"Um, I'm not sure, it's just a personal matter. Let me know when they turn up okay?" Finishing her breakfast she headed over to the job board. Being a Star Maiden and a Princess didn't come with the perks of endless cash and her rent was due next week. Suddenly Lucy got bowled over by Natsu. They fell to the floor with their faces inches apart from each other. Natsu face started blush before he scrambled off her. "You should really watch where you're standing."

"Yeah Lucy, why did you have to trip Natsu up like that?" Happy wanted to know.

"Excuse me, Natsu ran into _me_ and knocked me to the ground. He should be apologizing," she snapped angrily, her eyes flashed gold briefly before turning back to her normal angry brown eyes. Seeing this the boys quickly apologized.

"Sorry, I was just excited because I found a job that sounds like it just for us! See look." She snatched flyer reading it silently. The job asked for a Dragon Slayer, preferably a fire one, a hyperactive Exceed, and lastly a powerful Celestial Mage. The assignment was to get rid of an unknown shadowy pest that was terrorizing workers as they tried to restore an old manor to its former glory in a nearby town. The reward was enough money to cover her rent while feeding Natsu and Happy for days. The picture on the flyer showed an old house with a big shadow of some creature in the background. "Doesn't sound exciting! It will be just like the old days when it was just the three of us!"

"Are you sure this is legit, it just seems too good to be true," Lucy stated skeptically. Unconsciously she rubbed her right arm where the mark from last night was hidden. "Do you really think we can handle this job on our own? Maybe we should get the rest of the team."

Happy informed her that everyone else was out doing jobs with other people. Natsu was practically begging to go on this job. Igneel had left to gather the other dragons, so he was bored. Seeing this as a chance to work with one another to get over whatever problem there was Lucy agreed. Natsu and Happy cheered running off with Lucy right behind them yelling at them to slow down.

By early afternoon the team arrived in Ironwood. It was a beautiful town full of sprawling bungalows and beautiful trees that were the color of iron. A nice big lake was on the edge of the town. Dotting the down were historical landmarks to visit. A relaxing place to spend the holidays at. "I could spend a nice weekend here. It would be fun to spend some time exploring the old sites wouldn't it Natsu?"

"Bunch of dumb ruins, come on let's move those feet. I want to get this job done already!" A short time later they arrived at their destination. It was a halfway restored three-story purple brick building with fuchsia covered tiles covering the roof and wrapping around the four turret points. Several of the windows were restored as the construction workers worked to first and second floor as the grounds men worked to reclaim the yards. A man in a suit and a hard hat was sitting in a tent going over some blue prints. When he spied the trio he gestured them over.

"Thank you for coming so soon. My name is Mr. Stone. I'm glad to see you three I could really use your help." After offering them something to drink he explained what the problem was. "The town sold us this property hoping we could restore it to its former glory. They wish to turn it into a museum to show their history. My crew was halfway through construction when about two weeks ago something started attacking the site at night. All the progress we made would be undone, some of my men went missing. Our attempts to capture the pest have failed. All we know is that the creature is about six or maybe seven feet tall with weird footprints."

They looked at the footprints, they were large, deep, and didn't resemble anything they knew of, something was off about them. Mr. Stone went on to say they had observed some a few weird thing about the creature. A worker who had been attacked had survived when his wife's silver key fell out of his pocket. The creature took one look at it and ran the other way. Two nights ago the creature had taken off when they mimicked the sounds of a Dragon Roar and did a shadow puppet of an Exceed.

"We can't be sure that this pest is afraid of these magical talents, but we have hope it is. I'm losing money every day this project is delayed and the town is really counting on the museum bringing in extra tourism. Can you please help us?"

"Of course sir. Don't worry about a thing. We'll have your problem solved by tomorrow morning," Lucy assured him. Her friends nodded as they got ready to face the pestering creature once night fell.

* * *

While waiting for night to fall, Lucy decided to explore a bit. She knew that Natsu and Happy would be occupied trying to figure out the most destructive way to beat the pest. Walking on one the completed areas of the house she stopped to admire the beautiful mantle over one fireplace in a room that must have been a study at one time. There were bookshelves around the room along with some desks stand. A beautiful crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling with candelabra's attached to the wall. Glancing over at the mantle she opened her eyes wide in surprise. There was a faded outline of what had been a giant portrait that wasn't there anymore.

"The portrait was too damaged for restoration, so we had to throw it out. A real shame, it was a picture of the family who used this manor as their summer cottage," Mr. Stone explained. Lucy hadn't even noticed him come in. The foreman gave her a small smile. "It's always nice to find someone else who appreciates the beauty and importance of restoring historical sites."

"This place feels very inviting. I can imagine how everything looked when this house was filled with family love. Everyone so happy and proud to be with each other," she whispered. Memories of her past when both her parents were alive tickled the back of her mind. At one time they had been happy.

Suddenly a woman's horrible wailing could be heard from outside. The ground shook the foundation causing the furniture to overturn. "I don't understand, the creature shouldn't be attacking until after dark!" Mr. Stone shouted, struggling stay on his feet. Glancing outside there it was still several hours before sunset.

"Maybe it wants to finish the job once and for all. Look out!" she shouted as pieces of the chandelier fell towards the man. There was no time to protect his face. Mini seconds before contact they disintegrated. Startled he looked up at the girl whose hand was still outstretched. "Get your men and evacuate from here! My friends and I will deal with your pest problem," the girl ordered. Nodding he followed her commands getting to his men as fast he could.

* * *

After casting a barrier spell behind her, she followed the noises of battle coming from the edge of the property near the forest that bordered the lake. What she saw halted her in her tracks. Happy was flying around with Natsu, who was repeatedly using his Dragon Roar against a six foot female monster. The creature had ratty hair, a muscular frame, and a thousand limbs with grabby hands! Those prints had been of hands, not feet! As she lunged at Natsu, she nearly sank her teeth into his leg. Only one creature fit this description. "A Kojin!"

What in the world is Kojin doing destroying buildings? They eat and devour children's flesh in their cave until presented a doll for them to care and love, changing them from monstrous ogres to protectors of children. I wish I had a doll and an enkio tree shrine right about now, Lucy thought as she pulled out her Fleur de Lese.

"Hey over here you ugly lady! I'm tastier then that mince meal of a cat and boy!" The Kojin slapped away the boys as several hands came towards her. Standing her ground, Lucy waited until the last second, before snapping and slashing with her Fleur de Lese. The second it touched the hands burns appeared or deep cuts that festered. Jumping up and over several arms Lucy wrapped her weapon around the Kojin's arm pulling tightly.

"Come on, come on go down." It was no use as the Kojin broke free sending the weapon flying miles away. The Celestial Spirit Mage eyes grew wide as she saw those hands come after her. Scrambling she ran around dodging the arms and avoided being kicked by one of the Kojin's legs. Kojin moved close at loping pace roaring loudly. Before she knew it the Kojin had grabbed her feet from under her and dangled the teen over her open mouth.

"You can't eat me here! This isn't a cave and I'm not a kid!" Lucy wailed loudly as the female ogre lowered her towards her jaw. "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" A massive explosion filled the area injuring the left half of the Kojin. It roared in pain as it flung Lucy towards the lake. At the speed she was going; she could possibly break her neck or die from the impact. Clenching her fist together, her magic started to form into the shape of a silver key. "Open the Gate of the Playful Dolphin: Delphinus!" A series of clicks echoed up from the lake as a swirling gate opened in the lake below.

A large dolphin shape leaped into the air twisting in midflip to catch the Star Maiden before diving back into the water. An air bubble helmet covered Lucy's face as she struggled for a few seconds disoriented by the impact. Delphinus held her tight clicking at her to relax. Calming down she looked at the Celestial Spirit she had called out for.

Delphinus looked like a cross between a speckled dolphin and human. His overall shape was that of a dolphin, but his face had human features and he had arms and hands attached underneath his flippers. There was even skin covering hidden legs under the tail. "Click, whistle, clickety click whistle" As he spoke his dolphin language translated to English in her ears. "Princess, are you alright? You're summons sounded frantic. I appeared as fast as I could."

"Thanks for the help Delphinus, I would have become part of the lake without your help. Can you get me to shore? I have to help my friends deal with a Kojin." The dolphin man nodded as she grabbed his dorsal fin. They torpedoed through the lake arriving at the shore in minutes. Shaking off the water she closed his gate sending him back. Taking a deep breath she hurried back to the battle for round two with the Kojin.

* * *

Natsu and Happy had driven the Kojin further away from the house towards the lake. Several arms were burned off and scratch marks covered the face of the Kojin. She let out a high-pitched wail causing both Exceed and the human to cover their ears as blood started to seep out.

"It's so loud! My ears feel like they're being eaten from the inside out!" Happy exclaimed. His claws scratched at his ears drawing blood. Natsu grunted and pushed through the pain. "No stupid monster is going to stop me from doing my job! Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Setting himself ablaze, he charged forward head butting the Kojin at high speed setting the female ogre on fire. The Kojin back up, stopped, dropped, and rolled. Most of the fire went out, but she lost more arms.

Bringing her remaining hands she clapped her hands sending a concussive force through the air. Natsu grabbed Happy who flew them in the air. Powering up his Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow, he ordered Happy to toss him. Dropping like a missile he drove his fists her face breaking her teeth. Before he could do any more attacks, the Kojin grabbed Natsu in her arms and started playing roughly as if he was a toy doll. Flicking her fingers she got rid of Happy. "Let me go you slimy ahhh! You don't know owwwwwwwww, you're messing with! Fire Dragon oooom."

Bursting through the forest onto the battle field Lucy whipped three keys from her belt calling out. "Open the Gates of my friends; Taurus, Horologium, and Pig!" The Kojin smiled upon the sight of the giant axe wielding Taurus mooing in delight at the thought of fighting. Ling the Pig grunted as she stood to his right and on his left was Horologium. "LUCY! It's been so long since I've seen your sexy body. How are you doing?"

"Knock it off Taurus, we've got a real problem right in front of us!" Ling snapped at him. The Kojin was striding over to them, hunger plain on its face. Natsu was still being played with some of the massive appendages.

"Your orders Miss Lucy?" Horologium questioned. Truth be admitted, he wasn't comfortable being in a fight against a Kojin. It was taking all his willpower not to run in the other direction.

"Ling, find a weak spot to attack. Taurus, once it's found strike hard and fast. The Kojin will let go of Natsu, I want you to keep him locked up and safe in your body Horologium. I'll finish this off with a spell. Go!"

Ling was pretty fast on her hooves as she raced closer and leaped over fallen logs. Her eyes glowed as she let her enhanced sense take over. She could hear the creature's heart beating strongly. Ignoring the smell of burning flesh she focused her eyes on the Kojin searching for a weak spot. "Found it! There's a weak spot on the first set arms near her right shoulder. Hit it, and all her nerves will numb up!"

"MOOO I'm on it! Make way for my blade!" Rampaging forward he spun his axe deflecting the female's arms. Leaping into the air, he hopped from one arm to the next before bringing the axe down on the right spot. Kojin let out a monstrous wail, her arms going limp. Natsu started to fall, but Horologium caught the boy and wobbled out the way.

"My turn! Celestial Magic: Dimensional Space Gate Void!" The spell was more powerful than she imagined. Magical energy rushed out of her body and it wasn't all Celestial. To her surprise and horror a wormhole contain inside an elaborate gate made of crystals appeared. The void started sucking everything towards it. Lucy tried to stop the spell, but couldn't as it got bigger the more it sucked in. As she lost her footing she started flying towards the void only to be caught by Taurus and placed under his body. Everyone held on as the door's power increased.

The Kojin tried to avoid being sucked in, but it was too late. It passed through the void, the gate shutting behind it and disappearing. Natsu freed himself from Horologium and hurried towards Lucy just as Happy ran out of the woods. "Lucy, what the heck was that? You better ahhhhh, hey quit it, ah!"

Magic sparks flew off her body as the Celestial Princess thrashed about. She kept switching from Star Maiden Princess to regular Lucy. Her power was in flux as her keys glowed brightly. The air around the Celestial Spirits was changing, becoming that of the Celestial World. "Her powers are overwhelming her perfect body!"

"Shut up and help our princess already. Her parents are the only ones who can help!" Ling stated hurriedly. Horologium scooped the girl up into his chest. "Princess Lucy shall return to her apartment once the crises has passed. Until then good day." Just like that Natsu and Happy were alone wondering if their friend was okay.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the duo they were being watched from a lacremeia screen in the throne room of the underground castle. It was a huge room with several tapestries and curtains hanging from the ceiling or covering the entrances. The viewing screen hung in the center of the room. Several members of court had assembled along with the royal family. Everyone had witnessed the battle between the Star Maiden Princess and Chief Advisor Taro's champion. As the captured glowworm lamps brighten the entire court whispered about the fight. A decision on how to proceed with their plans would be decided now.

Sitting in polished obsidian thrones on, with mother of pearl in lay, and extremely comfy cushions on a raised dais, sat King Mortain and Queen Brighgantia. King Mortain was an extremely handsome Nain. He was a black skinned dark eyed dwarf, wearing a stylized vest of crimson red and gold buttons. His white pants ended at his knees to allow his goat legs room to maneuver. Tilting his head, he tapped the arms of his throne with his cat claws as he looked over to his wife.

Queen Brighgantia was the loveliest Aguane anyone had seen. Her long brown and blue hair fell to her waist in bunched up curls. Her gossamer fairy wings hung down forming a kind of train for her plum colored off the shoulder dress. Her skin was light until you reached her horse feet, which were gray. Her cool gray eyes gave nothing away.

The last royal was not sitting in his throne, but standing up. Daichi by his side the shadow figure stepped into the light. He appeared to be a youth in his late teens with a tall and solid stature. His dark brown hair combed neatly except for a few stray bangs. His sharp features, including his yellow eyes, curved nose, and perfect smile, would send any girl to her knees. He looked like a Japanese prince in his regal stylized kimono. Attached to his waist was a belt with several padlocks and a katana strapped to his back.

"As you saw Chief Advisor Taro, your champion fell to the power of Star Maiden. Clearly, she is not some dumb human girl as you proclaimed. Using her brain and understanding of the Kojin species she was able to defeat Koshi," Kentaru, (for that was his name), spoke respectfully and calmly. He was not even phased when Taro growled at him.

Adviser Taro was a Donestre. He had a human body in a fine suit leaning on a cane. His head though was of an Asian lion, his mane fell just below his shoulder. Per his species he could speak any language. When he killed at that was left was a severed head that he would weep by for a few days before moving on to his next victim. That is, if he was living out of the realm. Taro was well educated and extremely prideful about his skills. His eyes bore into the prince with great disdain. He would lose his entire mane before he accepted the boy as one of their own.

"Your Highness, I acknowledge the Star Maiden is powerful and is more intelligent than your average human, but she didn't defeat Koshi on her own. Her pet Dragon Slayer and Exceed servant assisted in the battle. It's unclear to any member of the court if this "Star Maiden" is the one we need. I still believe that we should look harder, perhaps even try to discover a way to resurrect a few dead Celestial Spirit Mages to test them."

Kentaru opened his mouth to debate his point, but his "father" beat it to him. "I hope that you are not saying you fallen champion lost to luck Adviser Taro? Have you forgotten how many times we've waged war with our enemies? One person must be the leader, commanding loyalty and respect. Without one those who challenge our might would throw their stupid lives away," King Mortain stated in a mincing tone.

"Peace my husband, Adviser Taro is merely stating his observation. Obviously we don't want to take on our enemies without the right girl," Queen Brighantia said in a passive voice. "I also agree that the Star Maiden, while extremely powerful, is out destine one. The loss of her control indicates a lack of discipline that is required for our needs."

There was a buzzing as a few court members whispered their opinion. Some agreed with the Queen and others supported the King's statement. Taro used this to his advantage pointing out flaws in Lucy's personality, her magic, and her status. Daichi saw his master twitch in anger and placed a hand on his shoulder. The teen looked at his majordomo, who tilted his head slightly, mouthing something to him. Nodding in understanding, the boy cleared his throat and spoke again.

"Pardon my interruptions I feel that you are all forgetting something. Ever since our beloved Seeress Corvusina came into her full powers, her prophecies have never been wrong. Her prophecy about myself proved true. Has she not predicted the future accurately for all our kind?" He said gesturing to the left side of the room. An older woman with slack skin, beady black eyes and beaked mouth stood there; wearing a simple robe before stepping forward. She undid her hood and straps on her arms. Her raven black hair was made of dazzling feathers and her feather arms provided her flight. She stretched her old bird feet. An aura of mystery surrounded her.

"My Majesties', your son speaks truth. My powers of foresight are unmatched in our realm. Who dares to doubt my magic? Forget your personal feelings and disgust for a moment! Have we not used humans before to aid us? While there are many Celestial Spirit Mages_, this one _fulfilled a prophecy that caused a rift in our enemies for a millennium! The rulers of the stars have made her their child, just as we brought Kentaru into our monstrous family." Taro muttered something about her being senile and the boy wasn't the one of prophecy. In turn the Seeress stepped hard on his foot making him jump and roar.

"Seeress, once again you speak truth. I admit doubting my son for a time, but he's exceed all our expectations. I declare this Star Maiden as the one of prophecy!" King Mortain declared loudly. The entire court shouted agreements as Kentaru smirked. Once more he had succeed in getting his way and soon he would reap the rewards of his efforts. Composing himself he joined his parents as they discussed the best way to bring the Star Maiden to them.

* * *

A few days had passed and Natsu was starting to get worried. He hadn't seen any signs of Lucy returning to her apartment. He went there every day trying to get inside, but nothing defeated that deadbolt she had installed on the door. It must be enchanted to prevent unwanted guests. Natsu returned to his home in the forest where Happy was playing cards against Gray, who had just returned from his job. The half undressed man looked up as Natsu plopped to the ground unhappily. "The door defeated you again? I hope you didn't try burning it down this time."

"How was I supposed to know that the door would retaliate by covering me in anti magic dust? I miss the times we could just stop by whenever we wanted to and she got all upset," Natsu whined. He looked at the ground dejectedly not saying anything. This concerned Gray because Natsu was known for not knowing when to be quiet.

"Come on Natsu, don't look so gloomy it makes you look stupid" The Ice Maker user smiled as Natsu growled looking up in anger. "There, you look like yourself again. The Celestial Spirits promised she would be coming back once they found a way to help her."

"It's been more than three days, how long does it take for spirits to fix their owner. What if they refuse to let her return? Right now they could be doing something horrible to her! It's their fault this happened in the first place!"

"Natsu you're going to blow your top and we'll have to rebuild our home again!" Happy warned, looking at his friend with wide eyes. The Fire Dragon Slayer had started shooting flames everywhere as he got more upset. A stray spark landed on the lawn in front of the house. Happy removed his backpack as he frantically tried to beat the fire out. Natsu continued his ranting oblivious to the problems he was causing. Gray reacted quickly covering the ground with ice before trapping Natsu in a block of ice.

"You need to chill out now Natsu. Do you really want to set your home on fire?" The fire user shook his head and calmed down. Slowly the ice melted around him. He took some calming breaths relaxing a bit. Gray looked him over and muttered under his breath, "I swear, if you were anyone else, I wonder if you were jealous, with all the time Lucy was spending with her spirit friends."

Before a fight could break out, there was a few coos and a weird bark. Looking down they saw Plue standing their wobbly as ever. He started making his plu plu sounds. Natsu's eyes lit up. "Lucy back! What are we waiting around her for? Let's go see her!" Before the others could protest Natsu was racing through town reaching the apartment in mere minutes. He was so excited to see Lucy he ran straight into her door falling down the stairs and landing in a heap with Gray and Happy.

"Get your foot off my face Natsu!" "I can't feel my tail!" "Stop trying to choke me Gray!"

"Ahem!" A female voice said from the doorway. The boys look up in fear as Erza stood there frowning. "I'm willing to let this slide if you three get in here now and act with your best behavior." They hurried in through the door into apartment as the door shut behind them. They felt a weird pressure on them for a few seconds before their bodies adjusted. Apparently the apartment was half in the Celestial Spirit World and half in Earthland.

The boys joined Erza at the table where Wendy and Carla sat with Cheung, (the Rat Year Spirit), who was placing treats on the table. Seeing as his human form was that of waiter on skates, he was pretty good at serving well-made snacks. The spirit kept glancing towards the kitchen curtain door. His mistress was in there talking with Capricorn. Judging how loud their voices it was a heated argument.

In the kitchen Lucy sat on a stool next to her sink. She was kicking her legs angrily, her arms folded in anger, with a scowl on her face. Capricorn stood a few feet from her, keeping his calm persona. "I understand that you're frustrated and angry, but I assure you my lady that you will remain sequestered for only for a few days, a week at the most"

"I already spent enough time in recovery. I don't understand, what is the point of returning to Earthland is, if you won't let me leave my apartment?" She shouted before covering her mouth. Her magical aura flared again. Capricorn placed a hand on her, dispersing the magic again. "Why is this happening to me? How can I be losing control?" she cried into his arms.

He stroked her hair calming her down. Cheung skated in the room to check on her as Plue hopped into her lap. Cheng touched the plates on the counter, animating them to life. He ordered them to serve the humans as he started to prepare a special treat for his princess. He started to talk over his shoulder.

"You know Mistress Lucy, you're not the first Star Maiden whose lost control. The blessings you received are powerful gifts bestowed to you and you alone. You returned the power that Fairy Tail had given you, but it's impossible to completely undo a blessing if the originator is not the one the powers returned to."

The teen nodded understanding she partially given some of her potential Space Magic to Hoshi, but the rest remained deep in her second core. Her instincts had tried to combine Celestial and Space as one, which is why her spell went out of control. Her adoptive parents had helped heal her and restore her control, but it was very fragile at the moment.

Capricorn straightened up, reminding her that she'd been allowed to return home to help her regain her equilibrium between her Celestial Spirit life and her human one. Having her friends visit while he taught her better control would boost her confidence. After confirming she was fine, she went to talk to her friends to inform them what was going on. The next few days would be very long and tough.

* * *

Lucy's sequestering began on Sunday. After informing her friends about what was going they had promised to visit her during the week to check on her. They even would be willing to teach her some control techniques to help with her problem. Wendy promised to tell her class she was out sick this week so they understood why she wouldn't be teaching them. That's what broke Lucy's heart the most, it was her favorite responsibility as a Star Maiden. Capricorn suggested she spend the day resting and relaxing. It would help her regain her strength and will to handle everything.

On Monday Lucy control training began. Erza asked to attend as a consultant. The Knight watched as Lucy, under Capricorn's instructions, started to gather her magic. "Keep your mind clear of any distractions. Don't think about it, just trust your instincts. Feel the magic deep inside your body. Let it flow slowly through your body," Capricorn spoke, walking around the small table as Lucy sat on her pillow.

Doing as instructed, Lucy took a deep breath, letting the air go all the way to her toes and released it back out. Slowly her magic spread across her body creating glowing marks. Erza eyes narrowed as she stared intensely as the magical aura started to fluctuate. "Discipline Lucy, strict discipline is needed. The same dedication and love you show your spirits, must be applied to your own magic. You have more power so you need to channel it so it obeys you. Don't let it control you, you control it!"

Hearing her inspirational words the Celestial Spirit Mage did exactly what her friend said to do. Her face schooled in an exact copy of Erza's face. The aura stopped flickering, thinning around her until it was a simple outline around her. Capricorn instructed her to hold out one hand and form a ball of celestial energy. She did so, before performing the same trick in her other hand. Bringing the balls together she tapped them together causing them to collapse, which was exactly what Capricorn wanted.

"You did well today. Remember, you need to remain disciplined at all times. The magic responds to your instincts. Make your first instinct to restrain the magic until it's the right time to use. Thank you Erza Scarlett. The lesson is over now." The warrior mage nodded, staying long enough to have lunch.

Tuesday, it was Loki and Gray's turn to help her. Loki would have her practice her summoning, testing her limits so she knew when to stop. Gray's job was to distract her by any means necessary forcing his friend to think on her feet. "Ice Make: Ice Senbons!"

"Open the Gate of the Chisel! Caelum!" The robotic spirit appeared, another summons without a key, she instructed it to blast the ice senbons away. Doing so the beam still traveled towards Gray who felt Loki push him down as Lucy forced the gate closed. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she asked how her friends were only mildly unhappy that Gray had stripped again.

"No one can doubt your abilities to summon spirits and force close the gates my lovely Lucy. I would recommend that you practice the special summon more after you've become more acquainted with the others spirits," Loki told her giving her an easy smile. He started to wrap his arm around her, but she ducked picking up Gray's fallen clothes telling him to get dressed. Sitting on her bed she closed her eyes tapping her feet. Loki's words rang true. All spirits would protect and obey her with their immortal lives. Still if she made friends with them it would be easier to summon them in a dire need.

Wednesday she worked with Wendy and Carla, along with her Animal Zodiacs. The entire day was devoted to get use to Space Magic. It was very different and strange than regular Celestial Magic. Anytime she started to lose control Wendy would enter the Dragon Force by eating the magical air around her before forcing Lucy to the ground. The Zodiac Animals gave her helpful tips, such as correct stance or enunciating the spells clearly. Hu reminded Lucy that she would need to read more books on the subject so she truly understood the risks of using this magic.

Thursday left Lucy wanting to bolt from her apartment and lock herself in the ladies bath at the guild. Happy and her silver spirits decided that fastest way to learn control was to test her emotional control in mock situations. Happy pretended to be a Celestial Spirit Mage in different scenarios and she had to act accordingly. The stress of the situation combined with the personalities of everyone became too much causing her to quit for a while. It took hours to convince her to get back to practicing.

Friday with Natsu tested everything she had learned. He attempted to be careful not wanting to wreck the apartment. At least her home only suffered minimal damage. They spent a lot of the afternoon putting things back together. Lucy stopped putting her bed together, looking out the window longingly. She placed her hand against the glass a slight frown on her face.

"Hey Lucy, are you okay?" Lucy nodded, wrapping her arms around herself as she sank on the bed. "Um, I know I'm not exactly the listening type, but I'm here for you, you know that right?" The fire Dragon Slayer spoke softly as he joined her.

"Thanks Natsu, I appreciate all the help everyone's given me this week. My control is better. You don't know how badly I want to go on jobs with you and have fun, it's just I don't think I'm ready to return to my normal life now." Natsu asked her to explain what she meant by that. Lucy shook her head telling him not to worry about it. She would leave her apartment tomorrow and join everyone at the guild.

* * *

Saturday morning came and everyone was waiting anxiously. They all missed seeing Lucy and wanted to make sure she was okay after what happened. It was nearly ten in the morning and still no sign of her. Natsu was about to declare a search party when a crystal flower appeared on the bar. Mirajane picked it up and a message started to play in front of the guild.

_"Hi everyone, I know that all my friends are worried about me. I feel really bad that I'm not there now with all of you having fun. As you know I had to be sequestered after an incident on my last job. According to my friends and Celestial Spirits, I'm fine to return to the guild and take on small jobs, but I'm not ready yet. I need to prove to myself that I'm not a hazard to everyone. That I truly deserve the great blessings and titles given to me. So I'm going on a trip for a while to find myself. I promise not to be gone too long and I will contact the guild periodically. All my love Lucy." _

The message ended leaving everyone a bit unsettled and worried. They hadn't realized how much Lucy was struggling with all her new powers and responsibilities. How they wished she confided in them, but there was nothing they could do now. They hoped some personal time would help their friend find what she was looking for.


	3. Troll Bridges

Monster Lad Prince Kentaru was sitting on the balcony, overlooking the training of the senior recruits. Humans thought them mindless beasts, with no society except for some animal like hierarchy. Once they had been like that, thousands of years ago. Just like fine wine, as time passed they became refined, structured, and educated. The Endless Realm of Monsters not only stretched underground, but now had claims to certain forests, skies, and water ways. They were the equals of any society, even better than wild enemies, the Celestial Spirits. Kentaru growled under his breath. He wanted to double the pain those cursed spirits had dealt his brethren.

"Master, you sound parched. Shall I fetch a glass of spring water?" Daichi asked humbly, always by his master's side. Nori, of course, was snoozing at his master's feet. Even asleep, he was very alert, ready to attack anyone who came near his master. The perfect guard dog and loyal friend every prince should have.

"Make it that rare lemonade please. It's been months since I tasted that sweet nectar. Don't worry, I'll be fine by myself for a few minutes." Daichi nodded and left. A genuine smile appeared on Kentaru's face. He truly appreciated and cared for his majordomo. The Hibagon was his closest friend and confidant. He knew that most of the court would frown upon it. Still his parents allowed it, knowing that having one trusted servant had many benefits for them, including someone to die for them if trouble arose.

Leaning down, he picked up Nori and set him on his lap. The little hairball immediately began scenting the air and listening for signs of trouble. "Shush Nori, everything is fine. Soon Nori; all our dreams will come true. We'll finally have what we've longed for our entire lives."

"Oh and what may that be? Lead to our civilization's utter destruction on your crazed quest based on some silly dream of old woman?" Adviser Taro cruelly stated as he came out on to the balcony along with a decorated soldier. He and Captain Gintarus (a Bolla) looked at his troops in pride. The Captain resembled a dragon, except he stood on two legs and used his other feet like hands. His entire dark green scaled body coiled up tight in his suit of armor, his small silver wings and eyes making him look dangerous.

"Careful what you say to our beloved prince Taro! His due diligence has been why we haven't lost more recruits, who leave our realm to prove their worth, only to be slain by humans," Captain Gintarus hissed before bowing in front of his prince.

Kentaru eyes smiled coldly at Taro as he thanked the captain for his praise. Daichi arrived a few minutes later with enough drinks for everyone as they all sat down to watch the show. It was an intense sparring session as monsters of different attributes battle one another in unarmed combat. They all knew that if they proved themselves, not only would they join the Royal Guard, but get their first assignment from a royal! It was a prize worth fighting for.

* * *

An aquatic Grindylow jumped from pool to pool, extending his long suction cup fingers trying to pull his opponent into the water. His foe, a female Imijn slid away invisible. As the Grindylow searched for her she turned visible again, striking back. She was a blur, in her red training outfit, as she twisted around bringing her ball tip tail down on the Grindylow's head. Claws met suction tips as each tried to overpower one another, their legendary skills at capturing children at stake.

A forest dwelling Zuttibur danced around trying to mislead her foe through the artificial forest. The huge Comoran giant wouldn't be misled as he started rolling around in trying to destroy her and the forest. It was the same everywhere, the battles from going to simple spars to fights to was not a good thing for the Captain. Sometimes battles to the death occurred in intense spars, now wasn't the time to abandon their training. Seeing the displeasure on His Highness's face; Captain Gintarus jumped off the balcony.

Soaring over his troops he let out a giant roar. "That's enough! Get into formation you fools! Do you hear me recruits? STAND DOWN NOW!" Greatly embarrassed they did as they were told, lining up in formation, trying to clean their dirty armor or remove blood stains. Captain Gintarus landed in front of the recruits, a scowl on his reptilian face. Everyone gulped or gave signs of nervousness. They knew they were in serious trouble.

"You have disgraced yourself in front of our Highness and Adviser Taro. More importantly, you have _disgrace me_! I promised that our audience would witness elite trained soldiers, who obeyed every command without question. Do you have anything to say for yourselves?" The captain walked through the lines striking at his soldiers in anger and frustration. At least the soldiers had the decency to look forward their eyes betraying their shame.

"Your Highness, I apologize for my recruits' poor performances today. I beg you to give them another chance."

Kentaru looked at Daichi questioningly. Daichi gave him some subtle looks. Sighing the Prince twisted his head behind him to talk with Taro. "You're recommendation adviser?"

Surprised by the question, it took a minute for Taro to collect himself. Studying the scene before him, he weighed the pros and cons of the mission to the performance of the troops. "Your Highness, I only have the best interest of our people when I tell you this. All we have seen is a brute power demonstration. If we're to succeed in capturing the enemy's princess, we can't depend on strength alone."

"True, we still have a few days to train for this mission." He stood up and addressed the troops. He informed that they would have _one_ and only one more chance to prove their skills to him. He was not interested in their powers, but their intelligence and physical prowess. He wanted to see a use of brawn, brains, and even a little beauty. He warned them again of the many dangers outside their realm and that they would have to earn his trust and respect if they even wanted to be considered for the job. Once he finished he left the balcony hoping that the Captain could handle getting his troops in working order.

* * *

A small cruise ship was traveling along the coast of Fiore following just along the trade routes. Standing on the top deck of the ship, leaning against the rail was Lucy. She smiled breathing in the sweet salt air. Lucy wasn't wearing her typical clothes, instead she was wearing a medium sleeve length, black jeans and tennis shoes. Her keys sat in her pocket. Back in her cabin was a simple pink suitcase containing her whip, extra clothes, and a few lacremeia flowers.

I need to thank Princess Hisue for getting me on this cruise last minute. It was a nice gift in exchange for working with her to come up with a list of all Celestial Mages and allow me to represent the Spirits interest once the Magic Council reforms Lucy thought to herself. She had four weeks to herself as the cruise went from Fiore to Caelum to Minstrel, where the ship would refuel before heading down the coast Midi and back.

Turning around she headed towards the changing rooms to go for a dip in the pool. Diving into the water she swam around happy for a change not to be sharing with guild mates. A dip in the hot tub with a glass of sparkling apple juice and later a perfect meal in the buffet and she was in heaven.

As night fell, Lucy went to her cabin, to perform her hygienic routine. As she brushed her hair, one of her keys lit up and to her minor annoyance Virgo appeared. "My dear princess, please allow me to attend to your needs. You needn't take care of your needs. I'm here to…"

"Virgo, I'm glad that you feel the need to help me, but would you kindly return home? Oh, and take a message back with you? Tell my adoptive parents I just need some time to myself." Not even asking for punishment she left. Lucy sighed before getting under the covers before going to bed. The next morning Lucy was getting ready to go to the lower deck. The captain had announced they were in whale water and waterspouts had been spotted. "Oh I can't wait to get a picture of a cute whale! I'm going to get a lot of nice pictures."

"I would be glad to assist you in getting the best pictures. It's a bit of a hobby of mine," a male voice said. Turning her head she saw Fain, her black sheep Animal Zodiac, standing there in his human form. A young eighteen year old with a lazy smile. "Please don't be upset, your parents are just concerned. Even without my powers of astral projection I can tell your spirit's troubled."

"Maybe that's because I'm trying to relax and I keep getting bothered by my friends!" she snapped. She angrily stalked out the room heading for the deck. Fain followed her, but she pretended he wasn't there. Finally she was at the deck holding her camera. Nothing would distract her from this rare opportunity. Waiting for whales was difficult, everyone was eager to see the majestic creatures. Children jumped up and down while others chatted with each other. Fain moved closer to his mistress, who kept slinking further away. She really didn't want anyone near her at this point. He made his way around the left rail when a whale burst to the surface exhaling. All that mist and water landed on Fain, who got so drenched he reverted back to his sheep form. A gentle laughter and a flash followed. "Oh you look so silly Fain! Thanks for the laugh." He bleated unhappily, but at least his mistress was happy watching the whales breach and spout. Even watching them swimming was fun.

Two hours later Lucy was on glass bottom boat for guests to get a closer look at some of the local sea life, as they were tugged behind the cruise ship. Lyra had decided to show up and was singing songs about the sea causing many of the guests to relax so they could enjoy the sights. Lucy resided to herself that her spirits would be keeping an eye on her throughout her vacation.

That night she slipped between worlds ending up in the throne room. Her adoptive parents smiled. The King and Queen leaned down and picked Lucy up in their palm so she could hug them. "My little Star Maiden. How are you doing today?" The Celestial Queen asked.

"How is your control coming along?" The Celestial King asked. He used one finger to brush back his "daughter's" hair. She giggled enjoying the warmth and love from them. She felt a little bad about why she came here. After all, they had helped her by taking the excess power into them so she could return home to practice control.

"Queen Mother, King Father, I appreciate your concern. I understand that you want to protect me. But there was a reason I wanted to go _alone_ on my vacation," she explained. Taking a deep breath she further explained, "I need to find a balance between all that has happened to me and my normal life on Earthland. That's why I took time off from the guild."

"It's a parents' right to be concerned for their child health and safety. Do you realize how scared we got when you came to us so sick? We nearly lost you," the Queen rumbled softly. Even the King had a worried look on his face. They made her feel a little guilty. Still, she needed some time to herself. So a compromise was made. She could still go on vacation, but each day she needed to be monitored by a Celestial Spirit. Her magic, combined with them, would help them stay without side effects for the day. That settled, she returned to her cabin ready to enjoy her vacation.

* * *

When they made their first stop in the Kingdom of Caelum, Lucy was the first one off the boat. They had four hours to visit the port and sample the local life before they had to return to the boat. She dragged behind her Gemini, who were disguised to look like Lucy Ashley, without the exposure. "Oh come on you two. This my chance to get some exclusive Caelum sea fabric clothes! They are so cute and they really highlight your figure! Giggle giggle."

"What does shopping have to do with finding yourself?" Gemini asked. Shopping and cute was not part of Lucy Ashley's personality, so it was neither Gemini's as long as they looked like her. "Isn't there some wrestling match we could go see? Maybe even combat in a MMA fight?"

Sighing, the real Lucy bit her tongue before speaking. She promised they could look for a fight after they went shopping. If they couldn't find one because of the time restraint they look for one on the cruise ship. Satisfied for the time being the two girls started running again, completely unaware they were being stalked at the moment.

Trailing behind the Celestial Spirit Mage and her disguised friend were two heavily layered people. One was a female in a trench coat dress, the sleeves bulging and wearing modified boots to keep her hooved feet hidden. The dark tights also kept anyone from realizing her legs weren't normal, more horse like. She was a Boroka. Her male companion was very slender and thin, but left a trail of pebbles behind him. His hat pulled way down to prevent people from seeing his face or his rocky skin. He was a Mimis. Their names were Syeda and Tane. They along with their traveling companion Rhesus Kraken, who at the time was keeping an eye on the ship, they were the soldiers picked for this mission. To track, observe, and finally capture the Star Maiden Princess when they had her cornered.

They followed Lucy all day, her Celestial Spirit never leaving her side. The monsters cursed. Every time they would get close the Spirit would raise its head and scan the area looking for them. They watched as their prey slipped back on the ship without any worries as it took off for its next stop in two days in Minstrel.

Jumping on top of the Kraken the trio pursued the boat keeping carefully out of its radar range, but close enough they could see the girl when she was on the decks.

"This isn't working. We can't keep an eye on her if we stay hidden. Somehow we've got to get on that boat," Syeda stated sharply. "We're part of the Royal Guard now! We shouldn't be worried about some silly humans." She pulled off her trench revealing her winged arms. "I'm going to do an aerial scan. There has to be an empty cabin or storage room we can use to our advantage." She took off before her companions could stop her.

Rhesus started humming and making sounds communicating his feelings. He felt ignored, Syeda had forgotten he couldn't go anywhere except in the water. A Kraken was a giant water monster, if he wanted to he could just sink the boat and kidnap the Princess. Tane pat the mount on his head. "Easy, old friend. Captain Gintarus gave us explicit instructions. Syeda won't dare break protocol on a mission assigned by our Monstrous Lad Prince. Not if she knows what's good for her."

A shadow descend from the sky nearly slipping off the wet skin because her hoofs couldn't dig into anything. The mount stopped moving using a helpful fin to settle her on his back. She gave a detailed report of what she had observed. There were at least a dozen mages on that ship she could sense. Thankfully none of them were Celestial Spirit Mages. Their target was staying in one of the larger cabins in the middle of the ship. Security on the ship was tight.

"Our best course of action is to continue with recon. We only get one chance to pull this off. The future of the Realm is at stake! This is one mission that can't fail!" Tane stated.

* * *

Over the next few days the trio kept pace with Lucy. Her routine never stayed the same. Each day she would leave her cabin for breakfast, a perfect chance to grab her except that she stayed close to other people. The objective of the mission required stealth and subtleness.

So they hoped to follow her schedule thinking they could capture her when she was alone. However, Lucy never did the same thing day by day. The cruise offered a lot of different activities; each of them different and fun in their own way. One day the target was skating in the indoor roller rink, showing off some skills. Another day, was a fabulous full experience spa day. The two soldiers had trouble keeping their laughter in as they watched Cancer squabbling about having someone else doing his hair.

On port day,s the girl would manage to give them the slip for hours at a times. Tracking her down became next to impossible. If they didn't know better she was deliberately eluding them. Had the Celestial Spirits warned her of the dangers they posed? No, otherwise she wouldn't be leaving her cabin so often. They were getting frustrated. The cruise was almost half over and if they didn't catch the Princess before she got back to Fiore, they might never have a better chance to kidnap her without her guild knowing what happened.

On the halfway point they arrived in the country of Midi, a place that Lucy had never been in. The ship would be docked for two days before beginning the journey back to Fiore. While the vacation had been fun so far, Lucy was still concerned. So far she had managed not to lose control of her powers and her confidence in carrying out her responsibilities was growing. Still, she feared that it was only because of the constant presence of her Spirits. Then there was the other thing going on.

Though her Spirits had attempted to not alert her to trouble, she saw through them. Something was bothering them, they always were looking around and they were alert for trouble. Her own instincts told her someone was stalking her. By who or what, she didn't know. Her fellow Celestial kin didn't feel like sharing their fears with her. Whoever it was, she wanted them gone, which is why she had gathered books and magical objects. This stalking ended today.

Syeda and Tane were greatly surprised when they saw the Star Maiden turn away from the port town and headed down to beach, she seemed determined to get to a small cove further down then the usual beach spots. It would be a perfect place to relax or to stage a kidnapping.

Syeda narrowed her eyes. No Celestial Spirits were present. She still had her key ring with her and her whip on her hip, but other than that she had no defense. "This is a perfect, we have the advantage if she goes into the cove. Rhesus can easily maneuver into the cove and there's privacy so no one can see us."

Tane agreed, but he had to voice his concerns. "The Star Maiden also holds the advantage. The annoying couple Scorpio and Aquarius could easily use this to their advantage. There are plenty advantages for her to use other spirits and safely use her magic without hurting anyone." The entire situation seemed too convenient to him and his partner. The girl might be luring them into a trap.

Syeda seemed to agree with his assessment. "Her Spirits could have warned her. This might be her last stand, but it's also our only chance to fulfill the mission. We've trained for this, we can't pull out now." Rhesus hummed his own thoughts saying he was all in. With that they made their way into the cove.

* * *

Sitting in a meditated position, Lucy waited for her stalkers to appear. She breathed in and out, gathering her magic inside her. A small backpack rested next to her right side, carrying her supplies. All was quiet, except for the screech of the seagulls and the water lapping against the sand. Her instincts were on high. Opening her eyes, she grabbed her Fleur de Lease, snapping it out and slashed the stones around her.

Tane let out a cry of surprise as he became visible. Gone were the heavy layers, now he was in the royal uniform: a red, black, and silver jacket with gray pants, crystal pips next to his collar. Lucy got ready to snap her whip again when a shadow from above fell down towards her. Snagging her backpack she tossed three color change balls into the air before back flipping out of the way. Syeda shrieked, the color change magic blinded her at the same time the colors making her an easy target.

The Star Maiden skidded across the sand, reaching into her bag for another object when she felt herself being dragged across the sand towards the ocean. Flipping around her saw the Kraken drawing her closer and closer to its mouth/ a cross between a beak and whale mouth. "I don't think so you ugly whale squid!" Scrambling through the bag, she secured another object, tossing it at the water. It was bottle that contained lightning. Smashing it opened sent a bolt of lightning through the water harming the kraken. Once free she stood her ground, looking at her three attackers, and her hand next to her keys.

"So I was right about someone stalking me, but I never figured that it would be a Boroka and Mimis, with a Kraken for a mount," she hissed at them. The two soldiers paused, a bit surprised by her knowledge. Had they been wrong in thinking she didn't know about their war with the Spirits?

"I'm surprised that you recognize what we are. Have the egotistical Celestial Spirits, told you the truth?" Syeda asked her with a bit of curiosity. She bent her arms ready to fly into the air. The girl was her prize to bring back.

"I don't know what you're talking about! I'm just well read!"

Tane chuckled, he started to turn intangible. "This is perfect. Our captain warned us you be a difficult target to catch, but it seems your lack of knowledge gives us advantage." Without another word he vanished from view as his partner took to the sky. Rhesus started to gather water in his mouth for a high pressure blasts.

With no time to summon anyone her instincts came over her. Focusing on her inner power she let it flow through out her body. It tickled the inside of her body, the power begging to be used. "Strict discipline, I'm in control, not the magic." Taking a deep breath she let her power shine in a brilliant flash of light.

The light exposed Tane, who fell back. He was a creature of caves so the light burned him. His teeth gnashed together as he called more rock to cover him. No way could he get close to subdue her, let alone eat her, if he wanted to.

Syeda climbed higher before doing a stoop dive. Borokas didn't have talons, but being struck by hoofs at two hundred miles an hour could kill some. That not being her objective she slowed her speed simply to knock the girl unconscious.

"Space Magic: Shooting Star Crash!" It was the lowest level space spell she knew and the only one she mastered in her short training course. Seven white shooting stars fell from the sky striking Syeda and Rhesus. Both strikes knocked them out! "Good, it's finally over," Lucy whispered. She wiped sweat off her forehead, only a bit of her magic spent. She looked at her stalkers bodies only to be shocked to see them all recovering, their injuries already starting to disappear.

"Surprised? Monsters have a few tricks up their sleeves," Syeda laughed. Tane and Rhesus started move closer cutting off her escape. Now was the time to call for help.

"Open the Gates of the Water Bearer and the Scorpion: Aquarius and Scorpio!" Her Spirit friends appeared and what they saw shocked them, they couldn't speak for a few minutes. Just then more spirits appeared; Horologium, Pyxis, and Yue. They all looked shocked too. Without hesitation, Lucy got scooped up in the Horologium who ran off with her, Pyxis leading the way into a small patch of coconut trees. Yue was running ahead to make sure nothing lay in their path.

"What's going on Horologium? I have to get back there and confront those stalkers! Let me out!" She pounded on the glass door trying to break out. When that didn't work she gathered her energies trying to break free. Her magic rebounded off the glass door and bounced around the inside before sizzling out.

"Mistress, I must advice against this course of action. It's not safe for you to be near our enemies."

"Enemies? What are you talking about? Answer me!" she demanded. For the first time in as long as she knew him, Horologium ignored her and kept running. Frustrated, she continued to try to break free. The Grandfather Clock continued to run trusting Pyxis to lead them to safety. Yue was waiting for them at a small bridge. A few feet after they crossed there was a staircase leading up to the town. The silver spirits ran to catch up with the platinum one. Yue started across the bridge, when someone hit it from underneath. Pyxis caught her then a split second later a boulder hit the two sending them back through their gates.

* * *

A loud bellow was heard as two hideous trolls emerged from under the bridge. Granite like skin, huge brown eyes and long nose. One had a stubby goatee of rough red hair. Standing at least seven feet tall with big mouths full of teeth and with three black horns crowning their heads. Two bridge trolls! "Oh dear me. We're in a pickle here."

The trolls grunted before speaking in broken sentences. "Spirit, hate spirit. Kill clock!" Goatee yelled, his voice echoing across the patch. He took a step forward only to be held back by Ugly. "No kill girl. Girl, take back. Taro rules yes?" Nodding in agreement they started running at the duo. Frightened, Horologium ran back the way they came. The trolls right on their heels.

"You must not be captured by those low brain fools. Nor do I don't want to be eaten like several of my brethren."

"What are you talking about? I demand answers now!" A loud thumbing was heard behind them. Those troll brothers were catching up. They couldn't outpace them for long and Horologium time was almost up. She could tell with her Star Maiden senses he would try to push past his time limit to keep her safe, at great cost to himself. Snagging his key, she held it tightly. "Forced Gate Closure!" Horologium started to protest, but it was too late as he returned home.

The smart girl started running back to the cove, squeezing through the small opening in the rocks. Diving to the side the trolls obliterated the rocks causing the battle between Spirits and Monsters. Syeda and Tane narrowed their eyes not happy to see the trolls. It seemed the Adviser didn't trust them to complete the mission.

"What are you buffoons doing here? This is our mission!" Syeda snarled. "Go back home now!" She kicked some sand and rocks striking Aquarius as he flew over and raked her nails over Ugly's face. Goatee tried to swat her away. Scorpio seeing an opening fired his Sand Buster. The Boroka barely managed to dodge, while the trolls got buried under the sand. "Oh yeah, I still got the moves.

"Great job lover! Now let's get rid of these weakling low lives!" Aquarius said. She tossed her water everywhere catching the trio I her whirlpool. Round and Round they went as she used her tail to smack the trio harder. "Want more? I'll give you more!" The whirlpool grew stronger, threatening to catch Scorpio and Lucy in its clutches. That's when the trio struck back.

The Kraken lashed out with his tentacles capturing the water bearer. Aquarius struggled, but couldn't break the hold. She was about to be eaten when her gate was forcefully closed. On the beach Scorpio was fighting for his life as Tane tried to take over and eat him, but again the gate was force closed. Flying down Syeda wrapped her two legs around an exhausted Lucy before tossing her into the now unburied trolls arms. She hung limply in them, passing out due to the shock and magic use. "You want to help. Don't drop her! Just keep her her in your arms until we're back to Realm. Troops move out!" The monsters hopped on Rhesus as they all headed away, not noticing her two diamond keys were missing.

* * *

In the Celestial Spirit World, both royals anxiously paced in the Throne Room. They had felt through their link their daughter's emotions. From calmness and courage, to absolute fear and concern. The forced gate closure sent all the Celestial Spirits sprawling across the floor. Seeing the injuries on their people and the cries of anguish, a mandatory audience was declared.

It took nearly an hour to assemble every spirit. Many had to be forcefully recalled from Earthland during Mage missions. Some had resisted the summons long enough to help their mages before coming home. Once they were all properly seated the King cast a sealing spell on the gates preventing any summons.

"We thank you for your timely response. We understand your confusion and fears, but something of great magnitude has taken place. Our ancient enemies, the Monsters of Legend, have abducted our Star Maiden Princess!" the King proclaimed. Everyone gasped as fear traveled across the room. New star spirits cried loudly in dismay. The constellations demanded to know what happened as the Zodiacs started pointing fingers at each other.

"ENOUGH! YOU WILL CEASE THIS CHAOS RIGHT NOW!" the Queen demanded as she slammed her scepter down on the ground. Instantly everyone went quiet. The queen looked at all her subjects intimidating them. She relaxed back in throne asking all who had been on guard duty or took place in the battle to step forward and give a detailed account. Each of them told them about feeling a darkness around them. All of them emphasized that they had tried to locate the source of danger.

It wasn't until Horologium started to give his account that everyone got a surprising shock. When he bowed something clinked against his door. Opening it, two diamond keys fell to the floor. "Oh my, it seems that Princess Lucy left these behind by accident when she forced closed my gate."

"More likely she did deliberately," Capricorn stated. Looking at his King and Queen, he told them what his opinion was. "We have never revealed all our history or secrets to our Princess. It our fault she wasn't prepared for an attack by our foes." They all hung their heads down at this. It was true, they had been so busy helping her learn their history, duties, and even powers, and they had neglected to mention the ancient war against monsters. Just because there hadn't been a monster related death to a Celestial Spirit Mage in 325 years (Earthland Time), didn't mean their enemies had retreated.

"My King, My beloved Queen. I beg you to open my Gate. As a member of Fairy Tail, along with them as our official call to guild, I know they can help us in finding Lucy and freeing her before something bad happens," Loki/Leo practically begged. The Royals unsealed his gate along with any gates belonging to Spirits owned by the Lucy. Hopefully with help they find their Princess quickly.


	4. Boogie Man

In the Endless Realm of Monsters, there was a buzz in the air. The citizens of Shadow Crystal had seen the elite team return successfully. The Star Maiden Princess was contained in a magical cocoon that kept her asleep and docile, thanks to several sleeping talent citizens. The whole city was hopeful and experiencing outright pleasure. Soon, their enemy would fall, thanks to one of their own. An impromptu early celebration started to spread from the city to the edges of the realm.

* * *

In Seeress Corvusina chambers, Prince Kentaru stood near the hybrid woman. Hovering in the air, was the cocoon, as the Seeress, started to exam the girl. Magical items and potions floated in the air to assist her. A blue potion tipped over, pouring the contents on to the old woman's hands causing them sparkle. Reaching her hands up went intangible, passing through the cocoon, touching the girl, her nails pricked the girl's thigh extracting blood, other fingers took different samples; a piece of hair, a sample of her magic, a nick of the metal on her keys, before pulling her hands out.

Kentaru watched in fascination as the samples got tested. While she doing the tests other magical tools did their work. Stepping closer, he waved his hand over the cocoon, his royal blood connecting to the magic, the cocoon briefly became translucent. One close up look at the girl, made his heart flutter. Idiot humans, how could they not see beyond the physical appearance of person? What made Lucy special wasn't her lovely features, but the pureness inside her heart. "Soon, my precious treasure, you and I will be together."

"Hold your wings my Prince. There's still much work to be done before she can awaken," Corvusina reminded him. Drawing on the essences of the samples she placed them on her mirror having their potential reflected back. What she saw made her beak tilt up in a weird smile. Physically the girl was perfectly healthy. No sign of any illness and her body was perfect for having future generations of children. Her magical core was pulsating with potential. Her control issues, would be expected after such a transformation. With the right guidance and training, this Star Maiden could become a powerful weapon after her second transformation. The bloodline itself spoke of generations of powerful mages mixed with royal blood. That, along with a strong bond, with those hypocritical Spirits, meant the prophecy was about her. The thought of her being right once more about a human made her smile.

The Prince caught her grin and flicked his hair behind him. Turning away from the cocoon, he stood proud and smoothed out invisible wrinkles in his kimono. "I know that look, when you see me, you feel proud that you one up Taro."

"Shriek! That fool couldn't find his tail if it wasn't attached to him! The mystic arts are more powerful than any measly advice he could give, shriek!" she said while flinging her arms in the air and shaking her head feathers. The old Donestre couldn't accept she was right and he was wrong when it came to the Monster Lad Prophecy, as it had been called. His inability to accept that humans had the power to become more than what they were, blinded him from truly accepting the Monster Lad.

* * *

Kentaru was also thinking back to the day he first heard of the prophecy. It was when he was a young child in his previous life. The servants talked in soft whispers in hidden corners. Rule one: they were there to serve and not make themselves known. They never suspected that one of their masters enjoyed eavesdropping on their fascinating lives. He could recite the prophecy from heart by the time he was eight.

"_Defeated, humiliated, locked our kind will be. Our ancient foes shall divide, yet shall shine on us with a great hope in the distance time. Amongst the riches of the earth we hide until our savior arrives. _

_Born of human flesh, he shall be a gifted and stronger than any other. His family's scorn will fuel his rage as he undoes the lock to his cage. Destroying his human ties, as the unlocked magic shows the way. _

_Journey far and wide, he shall go. Mastering our sacred art and breaking Celestial girls' hearts. Through great trials and a single test, his destiny is claimed as the Monster Lad. He whose is the prince of traps and locks, becomes the heir to be so he may lead us back to our former glory so mote it be!" _

To think back to my human life as the shame of our "great family's name" and I'm the one who claims the greatest power of them all. One day I'll summon them and show them they're the true shame of the world he thought. Pushing the thoughts away he returned to the present. "Have you finished with your exam yet?" He was anxious to get Lucy into her suite. A Princess should always wake up in a luxurious room with all their needs tended for.

Corvusina kicked one leg out knocking the boy's shins together. Most people who did such a thing would be thrown in the Pit, but Kentaru welcomed Covusina's actions. She was a force to be reckoned with and her actions always got her what she wanted. Something he could related to since she taught him the skill.

"You can't rush these things, my dear Monster Lad. She needs to remain asleep as long as possible, otherwise she won't be able to adjust to our realm. Remember, she must be properly prepared before she's present to your parents, then the entire realm. Besides, you could use some cleaning up yourself. First impressions and all." Nodding Kentaru left, trusting the Seeress to complete her duties before meeting the girl.

* * *

Consciousness slowly return to Lucy. She blinked several times while struggling to get up. Slowly, she managed to push herself upright against a massive feather filled pillow. "Oh, I wonder if this is how Cana feels after binging on beer all day. The battle! What happened, where are my friends?" That's when she finally saw the room. It was a beautiful Gothic style bedroom. A tall mahogany bed with the softest sheets and pillows. There was a wardrobe slightly open revealing a few dresses. Stain glass windows dotted the room. Suddenly she saw a small hall and more doors alongside it,with another room, at the end. "Where am I? And what am I wearing?"

Lucy was dressed in Tudor Period wear. She was wearing a black dress with purple stars dotting the skirt and corset. The trims on her skirt and corset and her three tiered sleeves were a dark red. Pulling up the skirt she saw silver heeled shoes and part of her purple undergarments. Flushing, she slipped out of bed, walked unsteadily to the vanity mirror. She was wearing beautiful amethyst earrings, necklace, and a black crown studded with them. Her long hair was styled in way that if fell behind her in gentle waves, held in place by a red ribbon, along with a few locks framing her face. What was going on?

"Ah your awake, I hope you like the clothes that the girls picked, I'm terrible at choosing woman's wear," a voice said behind. Gasping, she turned around and saw Kentaru standing their holding a bouquet of jewel flowers. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but I think introductions should be first. I already know who you are Princess Lucy. My name is Monster Lad Prince Kentaru Bestial. Welcome to the Gothic Palace, in the capital city Shadow Crystal, in the Endless Realm of Monsters."

Lucy reacted without hesitation. Her hand flew to her waist intent on grabbing a key, only her key ring wasn't there. Confused, she quickly brought her hands together. "Celestial Magic: Energy Beam!" Nothing happened. Seeing her capture's amused face, she lunged forward intent on hitting him or giving her famous Lucy Kick.

Kentaru shook his head before tossing the bouquet in the air. He anticipated her right arm catching it at her wrist. In a matter of seconds he bent it up, then down before twisting it around her. The girl was in pain, she attempted to drive her elbow in to his side, only he slid out of the way. With great force Lucy broke his hold knocking over a night stand in the process. She kicked out her leg to finish him off, but the boy was faster. Catching her foot, somehow he managed to spin it in the opposite direction before shoving her onto the bed, and catching the bouquet before it shattered on the table and putting them in a vase. "By now you realize that your magic has been almost completely sealed off. Even if you had it, it wouldn't work very well in my realm. Are you done with the theatrics? "

"Depends if you answer my questions. The last thing I remember, was fighting in a cove against a trio of monsters. Monsters, who had stalked me most of the cruise and for some reason my friends didn't tell me about their little rivalry," Lucy demanded. Careful to keep eye contact with the boy, she managed to glance around the room as she sat up straight in the bed. Down the hall she could just make out something glittering.

Catching her eyes, he spotted what she was looking at. "Ah, I guess you're wondering where your keys are. Perhaps, curious about why all of sudden boogie men have popped up. Come, this better discussed in your parlor than the bedroom." Kentaru informed her. He held out his hand to help her up. Feeling weaker after the fight, she accepted it as he led her down the hall. He told her about each room and its purposes, though he could tell Lucy wasn't really paying attention at the moment.

Finally they reached the parlor. Heavy red tapestries hung from the ceiling between two chandeliers. Paintings of different kinds of creatures hung on the walls and the carpet made of the softest furs. Several lady chairs, a settee, and a chase lounge formed a square around a beautiful oval shape table. On the table was a beautiful bell jar, the keys hung on a fake hand, a pulsating lock kept the jar from being removed. There was a fake fireplace with an enchanted fire burning. Hung just above it under a glass case, was her Fleur de Lease whip. Along the far wall sat several dressers stocked with all kinds of things. A single door stood opposite of the fireplace, most likely the exit. Lucy was directed to one chair as Kentaru sat in the other.

"Do you need anything to drink? I can make us some tea?" the girl shook her head, her hands reaching out for the keys when an invisible force blocked her from touching the jar. The relic had to be designed to prevent her from taking back her keys. Wincing, she looked at her hand for damage and there was none. Tugging on the dress she waited for an explanation.

"Before I start, what do you know of the history of the Celestial Spirits?"

"I know about the Golden Age, when Celestial Spirits and humans made first contact. How the great Star Maidens; Danica, Esther, and Estrella brought about great changes to the CS world and brought the magic to Earthland. A civil war broke out leading to the split of the worlds. That was until I fulfilled Estrella's prophecy bringing the worlds together and ending the war."

* * *

"Then you've been given an edited version. You don't know the _real_ reason a civil war occurred after a millennium of peace. Words wouldn't be able to describe the truth." Reaching into his pocket he produce a simple red crystal which he placed in her hands. Muttering a spell, Lucy found herself once more sucked into the past as a ghost. This time, she was viewing the other sides memories.

_Lucy found herself hanging in the air on moonless night. Peering down, she barely was able to make out a small village below. She felt her body be yanked down until she was in the middle of the village. There was a huge fire going on in the square. Walking slowly she came upon a horrid sight. _

_A group of Celestial Spirit Mages, commanding a variety of spirits fought against a group of men carrying what appeared to be enchanted locks. A variety of monsters stood by their sides fighting the spirits. Upon looking closer at the fire Lucy gasped. What she assumed to be logs, actually was bodies of men, woman, and children. Twisting about she realized that this town was a battlefield. _

"_You witches! We'll never surrender our town to add to your conquest! Lock Magic: Banshee's Wail!" the lead male shouted. He was holding a blue padlock, it flashed as a cage formed in the air with a banshee in it. The monster let out a deadly scream that was aimed for a young female with only a Nikora. The scream hit the girl killing her in an instant. The enraged little one smashed its fists together, growing in height and strength. With coldness the Spirit stomped the man to the death. The banshee now free, attack Nikora who fought back, in the end they were both dead. _

_The world dissolved, as Lucy found herself on another battlefield, at the edge of a great chasm. This time it was only the Spirits and Monsters. Gasping, she recognized the three Spirits. It was Libra, Pisces, and Ophiuchus working as a team to attack a Kelpie, a Beldam, and lastly a Hulda. It was a great battle as Libra tossed everyone, including her teammates, into the air and smacking them again and again in to the ground. Angrily Pisces attacked Libra leaving Ophiuchus for attack. The Bedlam dug her needle fingers in the spirit, the surprisingly not metal snake let out a cry as she tried to sew him up. The Kelpie and Hulda did a surprise attack on the Spirits nearly tossing them into the chasm. Son Pisces used his trident to gut the Kelpie as his mother attack the Hulda. Together they killed both flinging them into the chasm, unaware of their friends trouble. Only Libra last-minute assist saved the spirit. The Bedlam lashed out trying to kill her with her teeth. She latched on to Libra as golden blood dripped off her face. With the monster distracted the snake spirit whipped around and ate the monster. The spirits all sported some injury from the attack. _

_Lucy was swept through more battles, war meetings, and the sealing of the monsters into their realm. While the Spirits raged civil war as a result of them dealing with the aftermath of the war, the monsters banded together. Forming an elite society. No longer did they fight one another, but assisted creating a vast power. She glimpsed only a second of Kentaru's coronation as the images vanished. _

* * *

She came out of the vision woozy, starting to slip from her chair when the Monster Lad reached out and held her up until she could support herself. He took the crystal from her hand and placed it back in his pocket. "Please forgive me, I forgot how intense memory crystals can be. Though now you know the true history of our kinds, both of us wanted a free reign in the human realm known as Earthland. Each had their own reasons of course." Reclining in his chair he paused for a minutes staring at the enchanted fire before resuming his lecture.

"Until Star Maiden Danica discovered the Celestial Spirit world and created the keys and gates, my kind roamed the earth populated parts over all Earthland. At first we ignored the Spirits arrival, they left us alone. Occasionally there would be encounters which were brief. It was not until Star Maiden started training her Celestial Mages attack squads did our kind have reason to act."

"They weren't attack squads! Esther wanted female mages to be able to defend themselves with magic against dangerous people, especially perverts who would take advantage of them!" Lucy argued with him, her eyes flashing. "I understand that at some point several of her students broke away from her teachings in an attempt to conquer Earthland, but she stopped all that! Besides wasn't that a long time after the Celestial Spirits war?"

"You know the victorious change the history to make themselves look good. The conquest happened earlier than you know before the inner conflict. Soon female mages were taking over everything. They hunted and destroyed anyone in their path," he argued back. "Monsters had the same rights to Earthland and its humans for our purposes, but those Celestial Spirits didn't agree. It was sport to them to hunt and slaughter tribes. It wasn't until a man named Dustan made a pact with tribe leaders, just as his distant ancestor Colby did ages past, that the tables turned. Both men were the first in line of the title Monster Lads, your counterparts to the Star Maidens."

Lucy looked at him puzzled. She noticed how he kept fingering the locks on his belt. For some reason the sight of them made her squirm uncomfortably inside. She gripped the edges of her skirt tightly as she listened about how Colby was the one helped the monster kind safe zones to live among humans, while marking boundaries outlining zones they weren't allowed access to humans. Centuries later during the conquest Dustan formed a new pact with the remaining tribe leaders. They created lock magic, the opposite of the Celestial Magic. Why women opened doors and summoned Spirits, Lock Master Mages trapped, locking the monsters powers up. Many monsters agreed to be locked in temporary cages so their powers could be channeled through a mage tripling the power. The war ended when Star Maiden used the last of her power to remove the space magic to create a giant seal trapping the monsters in their realm.

Lucy perked up at that and questioned about the accuracy of that pointing out her encounters with monsters, spirits, and demons. She learned that demons descended from Zeref powers, making them distant cousins and spirits lived on a plane between Earth and others. The escapes or monster missions we're actually less common than she thought. Sealed inside this realm, they slowly had to take back parts of their old domain by finding weak spots in the cage, which soon repaired itself. "So, how did you get messed up in all this?"

Chuckling Kentaru stated like her he had fulfilled a prophecy by a Seeress. "In my past life I was the youngest son of Lord Edmund and Lady Enola Lucretius, owners of the vast fortune from the Lucretius Humanity Company. My parents didn't believe in using magic, they abhorred it. They believed only something created by pure human will and design was worth anything. After using the family fortune to start-up the company they only employed "non-spells" as they liked to call people without magic. I have to admit that our products, ranging from furniture to beautiful pieces of architecture, did have a certain touch."

"My parents favored my four elder siblings. My eldest brother, was a businessman helping to run the company and keep the employees in line. The second eldest was a scholar of vast subjects. The third eldest as a doctor bringing equal amount of pride, though my sister was the joy of my mother's life. She was a prodigy when it came to the arts; dance, music, art, you name it she could do it. I was the black sheep in the family, my parents' greatest shame."

"You had magic, they hated that didn't they?" Lucy stated softly. She could imagine what kind of life a child would have in that kind of household. Being beaten for just existing or using his gift. His parents forcing him to become a master craftsmen to fit in their life. No wonder he hung out with servants more often. She listen closely, astonished that he had mastered a lost magic of art in their summer home, the same beautiful manor being restored! She had to bite her lips as he described killing his family, how he found Nori, and made it through the trials and passing a dangerous test before becoming who he was now. When he stated that this happened nearly four hundred years ago, (for every three days in Earthland, a week went by in this realm).

They were silent for a time before she asked the burning question. "If I'm your mortal enemy, then why did you kidnap me? Are you going to hold me hostage until you get what you want from the Celestial Spirits, or kill me in a few days as a sacrifice?"

"No my precious treasure, your purpose here is greater than that. While your Spirits fought amongst themselves, the tribes united. As they continued to fight for humans we've created a vast society with culture, laws, and organization. Our Seeress Corvusina delivered another prophecy nearly fifteen years ago to the day.

"_When the light of the stars returns, and the abyss echoes with screams. The time for our revenge nears. The stars daughter, full of love, devotion and greatness, faces challenges in human form and spirit blood. Her greatness feared by humans is our claim to her. _

_The cave crystal son, will capture and show her the truth. A great transformation commences as keys find their locks. When the one of sky is made of crystals and blood of fear, the caves will open as the battle nears. _

_Triumphant victory will be ours as those spirits of skies fall, humans be caged as monsters roam free. The opposites now as one, will reign for the centuries to come until the heir of their power comes to age and once again protect our freedom from the heavenly spirits."_

Lucy heart raced as she reviewed the prophecy in her mind. She had returned from being in suspend animation and had helped in the battle against Tartarus, aka, the abyss prison. She's been adopted by the Celestial King and Queen and had fulfilled the first part of the prophecy. Figuring out, what the remaining parts of the prophecy meant, she swooned to the floor in utter shock.

* * *

When she woke again, she wasn't alone. Two ladies with small head and really skinny bodies, dressed in fine servant wear, tended to her needs. Her subconscious mind identifying their species, (Kikimoras). She sprang up and backed away from them, looking for an escape route. Backing into a door she shoved it open and locked it behind her.

Lucy found herself in a magnificent bathroom. There was a large, stoneware double sink with a large mirror framed in gold. Soft glow-worm lights created a unique pattern on the ceiling. The tile work on the floor resembled a chimera. There was huge tube in the corner with all kinds of bathing products, including a beautiful fluffy towels hanging on a rack. A knock on the door made her yelp.

"Mistress Lucy, please come out. My name is Kiki and my friend is Mora. Prince Kentaru assigned us to be your handmaidens. His Highness is waiting in his quarters wishing to give you a tour before you're presented to our Majesties.

"Leave me alone! I don't want to be here or see him again!" Trepidation filled her. She really didn't know much about this species. She vaguely recalled they were domestic dwellers who did a lot of housework alongside the woman of the house. She was pretty sure they liked to tickle and howl all night if you didn't appease them, but that's it.

The door handled jiggled then opened as the two women entered the room. Lucy grabbed a back scrubber holding it out in front of her. "Don't come any closer! I may be a hostage, but I refuse to cooperate in any way." Kiki, who had black hair, turned to her blond hair companion. They talked for a few minutes before the howling started. Lucy clutched her ears, dropping her weapon in the process. The handmaidens pounced on her dragging her back to her vanity so they could do her hair and fix her dress. Lucy was powerless as they added cosmetics and perfume before dragging her out the door heading to Kentaru's chambers.

After fifteen minutes of dragging her they arrived. Daichi raised a single eyebrow as the girl shouted threats, some seemingly impossible. Kentaru exited his room laughing, greatly amused by all the yelling. Only Nori seemed to object whining at his master's feet. "You'll certainly fit in here if you manage to pull off one threat." Lucy growled angrily. "Shall we commence the tour?"

"I don't want a tour any more than I want to be used for some prophecy!" she snapped. Pulling herself free from her handmaidens, she folded her arms and stood her ground. Not even Daichi, with his immense strength, could budge her. Kentaru shook his head, grabbing a silver and black lock from his belt. "Lock Magic: Poltergeist Telekinesis!" The lock flashed and a small caged poltergeist appeared. He let out a gleeful sound as his fingers moved rapidly. The Celestial Mage found herself acting like a puppet on strings. Her legs moved up and down, kicked out as her hands did the same thing. Lucy twisted about as her head jerked. "Stop! I'll cooperate, just stop!" Kentaru did as asked and the pain stopped. He held out his arm, she begrudgingly took it as the tour started.

They started at the bottom, working their way up. The kitchen was a bustle of activity as species such as Brownies, Pixies, even a Goblins worked hard to prepare meals for everyone. They all had praises for their beloved prince, though they held back their scorn for Lucy for now. Kentaru gave them warning looks as they continued the tour. As they moved through the halls creatures and beasts of all kinds worked together with no issues. The strange eerie happiness was starting to freak her out.

They saw countless rooms such as; a library, a music room, even specialized rooms for all the servants where they could live their lives. Soon Lucy lost track of where they were and confused on how to get around. She didn't have time to ponder this as they entered the throne room. The King and Queen sat on their thrones discussing something with Adviser Taro. The conversation stopped as their son bowed and Lucy quickly curtsied.

"Father, Mother, may I present Her Highness, Star Maiden Princess Lucy Heartfillia. I hope that she meets your expectations," he said with a flourish. He had a big smile on his face and gave Taro an arrogant glance, pulling Lucy closer to her. Seeing the lion man fume made him very gleeful.

Lucy was painfully aware of how she was being judged, not only by Kentaru's parents, but the adviser as well. Kentaru escorted her closer where he spun her around for all to see. King Mortain held out a hand as magical aura surrounded Lucy. Queen Brighantia did the same as she pulled a bit of celestial energy out of her. Once they were satisfied, they nodded their approval. That made Lucy even more nervous. She didn't want to know what they do to her if she failed to fit their vision of the prophecy.

"She is perfect my son. I can easily see why you were certain that she felt that she's the one, She's definitely the one from the prophecy," King Mortain informed his son. The king flexed his claws and tapped his foot on the floor in approval. It was not easy for him to put aside his hate for a Celestial Mage, yet somehow he managed it as he glimpsed at the treasure before him. "Your instincts will serve you well when you take the throne."

"Yes, I can't wait to see her grow in to her role. I hope you enjoy your stay here Princess, this is going to be your home for the rest of your life. Prince Kentaru why don't you and the Princess get better acquainted? Go on, enjoy your first date." Brighantia's wings gently flapped behind her. She could already imagine her son's offspring running around the castle and giving them rides on her back.

"Thank you Mother. I'm sure we'll have lots of fun." Lucy kept a strong face as they left the throne room. This was not her day. Once out of the throne room she ripped her hand from him. She had the disadvantage here. That didn't mean she was going to give up so easily. None the departing party witnessed Taro break a claw in frustration.

* * *

"I don't care if I'm your hostage or you think I'm going to fall for you. I refuse to bow down to you or your kind. I'm not some object you can use, I'm a person. I will not be treated as anything less!" Angrily, she tore her hair free of the ridiculous style before proceeding to throw her crown at Kentaru, only for Nori to catch it. Before she could rip the dress off, her handmaidens jumped her and restrained her. She struggled once more.

"Please calm down Mistress!" Kiki pleaded.

"You're messing up your outfit. How will that look on a first date?"

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

"ENOUGH!" Daichi roared startling everyone. He strode over and grabbed Lucy's chin roughly. "I'm tired of your childish actions. More importantly, I won't tolerate your disrespect for my Master. Act your age and status because I'm not above throwing you in the dungeon until this tantrum is over." He showed his teeth as sign of how serious his threat was. Releasing her, he turned to his master telling him that he would have the servants prepare a special dinner in his private dining room in half an hour. Dismissing himself he hurried to get things prepared.

Half an hour later the two young royals found themselves alone in a private dining room. Everything screamed both elegant and fearful. The walls appeared too made of rocks decorated with shadow boxes displaying bones, scales, horns. Really anything that screamed monster. Even the table appeared to be made of twisted wood and wings. There were a few touches that resembled a fancy restaurant. Especially the food that was at least five stars.

Lucy picked at her food ignoring her stomach pains. She hadn't had a proper meal for a week. Despite that the food didn't smell like it was human bodies she just couldn't stand to try something. Pushing the food away she expected the prince to use his magic on her to force her to eat.

Dabbing, his mouth with a napkin, Kentaru spoke, "If you're worried about the food I assure that there isn't anything human in the meat. The wine is not drugged nor are there poisons in the veggies and fruit. Meals are prepared in separate rooms to prevent cross contamination of food sources." It was a simple truth because what was healthy for one type of creature could be deadly for another. Still the girl wouldn't eat. Getting up he walked over to her and cut her food with a silent plea in his eyes. He didn't want her to die.

The hunger was too great as she bit into the meat, its juicy flavor filling her mouth. She could feel her energy coming back as she started to eat more. Soon her plate was empty as was her wine class. Still ravenous, Lucy was piling up on seconds. "I don't think I've ever been this hungry before! I just can't seem to stop eating."

Kentaru sipped his wine before answering. "I was the same after the ceremony that bonded me to my parents and people. The magic taxes your body greatly. That's why you need to eat so much. Perhaps some conversation will help you digest. I know nothing of your life prior to the start of your magical career. I love to hear about your life. Is it true that you didn't know your mother was a Star Maiden?"

Lucy gave him a look that clearly said, "My mother is off limits to talk about." Out of respect, he started to ask other questions about her life that didn't revolve around her mother. The wine must have loosened her lips because she told him a lot about herself. In turn he shared some personal details about his human life though he preferred to stick with his monster life. By the time they finished their meal it was late. He escorted Lucy back to her suite asking her to get some rest and expect her handmaidens in the morning. With that Lucy was left alone in her suite while guards took up positions outside her door.

* * *

Waiting anxiously on the bed, Lucy waited until she could hear the slight snoring of the Elokos. Once she was certain the grass haired treasure guards were asleep, she slid off the bed quietly. Kiki or Mora, had left a silk gold and silver night-gown on the bed with tiny fur-lined slippers to wear. Quietly, she started to look for a means of escape.

First thing she did was look for the clothes she had worn along with her suitcase. She checked under the bed, in the wardrobe and searched the vanity drawers. Moving things around didn't reveal any hidden trapdoors and tapping on the walls didn't find any hidden compartments. "Ok forget my stuff for a minute. Let's check the windows. One has to be loose."

Checking out her window nook she tried all the windows, but all of them were locked up tight. Tapping on the glass revealed a reinforced spell to prevent the window from shattering. Slamming her fist on the bench hard she heard a slight echo. "What the? Of course, the seat doubles as a storage compartment. She lifted the lid letting out a small cheer. Here was her backpack and clothes. A quick examination determined her lacremeia flowers were gone and most of her clothes were missing from the suitcase. Probably so the Kikimora could reuse the fabric to make new clothes. Please tell they did take yes! Thank god they left the bras alone.

In one of her old bras she had stashed two bronze keys she had created. These keys connected to her little helpers, Ardtree and Beteniforvin, weeks ago. Holding the keys she tried to feel the energy from them. The prince had told her that her magic was sealed. After the meal though she could feel a bit filter into her hands. "Please, please work. It only takes the littlest of magic to summon them. Please, Open the Gates of my star friends, Ardtree and Beteniforvin."

The keys flickered as they wiggled in her hands. She could feel the gates struggling to open. She poured her little reserves into the keys, steadying the gates. There was no sound as the keys stopped moving. In front of her she could just make out the outlines of a tree and cursive number. "Ardtree? Beteniforvin? Can you hear me or see me?"

"Princess Lucy! You're okay!" Ardtree chirped. He moved to give her a hug, but fell right through her. The same happened with Beteniforvin. "You didn't completely summon us Princess. Most of us is still in the Celestial Spirit world."

"I know, my magic is sealed. I only have a bit in my hands to work with. I need you two to listen closely." The two little spirits nodded opening their ears wide. They were already starting to return completely back their world. In a rush Lucy told them to tell her adoptive family she was being held hostage in Shadow Crystal, in the palace as part of some crazy prophecy. She was trying to come up with an escape plan, but needed their help. Right before they vanished she begged them to involve her guild in this.

Watching them go left her feeling helpless and drained. Exploring the other rooms was out of the question as she crawled into her bed. She was out the minute her head touched the pillow. A single tear streaked down her face as cry from the heart of how trapped she felt.


	5. Hunting Monsters

Only an hour after Lucy's abduction did Loki, Yue, and Virgo appear in the midst of Fairy Tail guild. Their loud and smoky entrance surprised the guild. Lucy's spirits always entered quietly and without a fuss. Their expressions clearly stated they were scared and frantic. Loki jumped on top of the bar, hastily saying an apology to Master Markov when he caused him to fall off the counter. Holding up his ring he used its magic to cast a signal beam into the air, while getting everyone's attention.

"My fellow guild mates. I apologize for the interruption, but as of now I'm suspending all jobs. By order of the Celestial King and Queen, they order all of you to help us with a crises upon our hands."

Some members were taken aback and others argued. Celestial Spirit or not, Loke didn't have the authority to prevent the guild from carrying out jobs. "Be quiet all of you. This is an emergency on the same scale of when we were fighting Tartarus only could fatal to one of our own!"

"Leo/Loki is right. Approximately an hour ago, in the country of Mila several spirits were summoned by Princess Lucy. She was in mortal danger as our ancient enemies, monsters and beasts, attacked her. Her efforts to defeat them or use to get her to safety failed. In the struggle she hid the diamond keys to prevent their use."

"Our abilities to communicate telepathically have been blocked. We can't sense her magic at all however we still have contracts with her, which means she's alive. For how long we can't say," Virgo explained calmly. Her chains rattled a bit as she rubbed her hands together anxiously.

The entire guild was silent as they processed this. This was the second time someone had targeted a member of their family. Fighting Phantom Lord was a lot easier than going up against monsters. Especially after Yue started talking about how dangerous it would to free Lucy. "I know you're frightened, but we need all the help we can get. Team Natsu, go back with Loki and Virgo, the Royals want to speak privately with you. I shall remain here and further debrief them. Hopefully with Markov's help we can get other guilds involved."

Loki nodded as he and Virgo swept Team Natsu through their gates. In mid transition Virgo swapped their clothes out. With the Queen focusing on finding her daughter, her protective barrier for humans had vanished. There was a pop and they found themselves at the steps of the palace.

* * *

"Team Natsu! You don't know how glad I am to see you!" an accented familiar voice was heard. Rushing down the steps in her priestess robes, her green hair bobbing behind her, was Hoshi, the Celestial Spirit Priestess of the Starwatcher Village. Trailing behind her was Quing Snake. The priestess looked like she hadn't slept in a few days. She embraced the girls, before shaking the boys' hands though Natsu refused. Frowning slightly she continued to speak. "Hurry, we have little time if we're to find Lucy. Come with me!"

"Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be back at your village repenting?" Natsu snapped. The others gave him heated glares telling him to keep quiet. Quing hissed, they needed to unite not tear each other apart if they were to resolve this crises. Opening the doors to throne room, several voices could be heard as they entered then hurried to the floor.

Erza took a quick survey as they hurried down to the main floor. Every Celestial Spirit was assembled spread out in small groups. The walls now had maps of Earthland along with display with information about different creatures. Shooting stars fell through the roof transforming into scrolls with news. Hoshi wiggled through the crowed, the Knight using intimidation to get past the throng.

Upon reaching the dais, they all bowed as Loki gave his report. The King brought the group to order as a hush fell over the group. "My old friend, thank you for retrieving these warriors for us. Tell me, what have you told them about our crises."

"The basics, Your Majesty. Time was of the essence and I figured you and your queen could do a better job at it." The King nodded once. Loke bowed once more before stepping back. Virgo also stepped back after giving her report to the queen. Everyone stood in place, only a little bit of fear building up in some of them or annoyance in others.

"Young friends; your feelings are felt by all. Forgive me if We give you the shortened version of our history and what you need to know about our enemy." Launching into story mode, he relayed the same basic story Kentaru had talked about. There was one difference. Instead of acting out of selfishness about wanting to be the only ones on Earthland, they had done it to prevent the monster kind from conquering all of Earthland and then spread to other realms.

"Most creatures have some time of magic, but unlike humans who can push past their limits, monsters stay the same. Capturing and enslaving humans would have given them limitless power. That is why Star Maiden Esther sealed them away. As the centuries have passed the seal has developed weak spots allowing escape for a few only to repair itself."

"We don't know why our daughter was abducted instead of killed. It's a blessing and curse at the same time," The Queen interrupted, her giant face frowning. Lucy was alive, but why? What did their enemies hope to accomplish by this act? Did they think the Spirits wouldn't respond or was that what they wanted all along?

"Your Majesties, we understand your feelings. It's always heartbreaking when you can't keep someone you care about safe," Gray whispered sadly. He recalled his battle with his father, wanting so much not to kill him, only to have to in the end. He didn't want Lucy to meet the same fate.

Natsu was ready to charge out and burn to crisp anyone who got in the way. Happy sat on his shoulder looking around when there was a bit of commotion. Ardtree and Beteniforvin wobbled in screeching that Lucy had summoned part of them. Listening sharply, they learned the news her magic was all, but sealed up. Both royals clutched their hands together. Without her magic, she couldn't fight the monsters, more importantly, prolonged exposure to the Endless Realm of Monsters without protection, could affect her body in ways they didn't want to think about.

Ardtree feared for his life when he told them about the location and something about a prophecy concerning Lucy was the reason behind her abduction. Next second Natsu grabbed him by his throat shaking him for answers as Beteniforvin ran in circles pleading for his friend's life. Wendy drew in a breath sucking the spirit close to her and hugging him as Carla gave a lecture to the fire breather. Wendy rocked the little spirit telling him it would be okay.

"Enough of this senseless fighting. Our mission is to find this Shadow Crystal and prevent a prophecy. We may not know it now that doesn't mean we won't later," Erza commanded. Turning to Hoshi she spoke, "We need to find a monster in order to learn about an entrance to their realm. Can you read that in the stars?"

Hoshi nodded as the ceiling split open allowing her to see the stars. Her eyes watched the movement of the space bodies. Connecting with the energy around her she figured out the best place to look. "In three days human time we'll find a group of black dogs hunting in a forest in the northwest area of Fiore. If we can tame the dogs, we'll have a way to smell an opening." Erza nodded as the group gathered together to return to Earthland to start the hunt. Before they left, Virgo bestowed to Wendy a glass bowl, containing sparkling silver stardust.

"This is purest and most powerful item of magic we own. If you get into trouble or something is wrong with Lucy, all you need to do is take a handful and sprinkle it over your target. Remember to think what you want to happen as you cast the magic. A warning, if the dust falls out the bowl or the container shatters, the stardust will turn to ash, its magic gone. Can I count on you to keep it safe?"

Wendy nodded securing the dish in her backpack. She swore nothing would happen to their precious cargo. No matter what happens or who tries to kill us, I won't let the stardust be taken nor break she thought. With a determined smile they returned to Earthland to find out three days had passed. It was time to start hunting.

* * *

Back in the Endless Realm of Monsters, Kentaru was having a luncheon, with his parents talking about the issues of the Realm. The Nifoloas needed fresh flesh to poison and eat. The Sliver Cat clan was refusing another health check. A dispute between the Wendigos and Lajabless over territory rights to the newly taken over Earthland area.

"I'm getting tired of the Sliver Cats refusing health checkups," King Mortain stated sorely. Staring down at his own cat paws he unsheathed and sheathed his claws a few times. "Refusing health checkups is no longer an option. Adviser Taro!" The door opened as the man came in followed by a few hobgoblins who quickly cleared the table, tidied up a bit, before serving fresh dishes of fried flame fish. They hobbled out of the way shutting the door behind them.

"You called for me sir?" the lion faced man stated, he looked and smelled the emotions coming from the Royals. The issues before them were secondary to their real concerns. "Is there something I can do to help make your day easier?"

"Yes, inform Madam Bakru and her children that I'm ordering them to give the Sliver Cat clan a mandatory checkup. If they refuse again, they have my permission to use force," the King Mortain proclaimed. He was the ruler of the realm and now one was going to disobey a direct order from him.

"There will be some backlash from them, but I'd be happy to deal with the clan later," Taro assured them. He was certain he could talk feline to feline. "Anything else that you need?"

"Send hunting parties to the edges of the seal. If they can find an opening, use it to bring back enough fresh flesh to satisfy the Nifoloas. Send a messenger to the Wendigo and Lajabless leaders. I will hold court with them to settle the territory dispute on my own," Queen Brighantia told the adviser. She could see her son looking puzzled. Usually he would be assisting her to learn more about politics between groups to keep the realm united. "My precious son, surely you realize you have more important responsibility than settling disputes."

Kentaru knew she was referring to Lucy, who for the past two and half days had been locked in her suite, except for meals. Her handmaidens took care of her needs and he hired a tutor to indoctrinate her in the ways of the Endless of Realm. The prince was even thinking about asking Cath Sith, if he could take a kitten as a gift for her, when he met up with her later tonight. "I believe I'm handling the situation to the best of my abilities."

"Oh really Your Highness. The entire realm is counting on you and the Celestial Princess to come together and finally free us. Forgive me, sire, I just wonder if you can actually pull this off," Taro remarked sarcastically. The prince snarled as grabbed his katana to behead the advisor, who had opened his mouth wide in attack, when both parties let out cries as their parts of their bodies turned to pure gold and silver. Partially turning their faces, both saw the king's hands covered in gemstones having cast his Treasure Magic.

"BOTH OF YOU ARE ACTING LIKE FOOLS! Advisor Taro, your position and rank gives you some leeway when it comes to freely speaking, but there are limits to what will be tolerated. Don't insult my child again, understood?" He got a frantic nod as the king undid the magic. While Taro frantically groomed himself, he listened as the upstart got a much needed lecture.

"Prince Kentaru Bestial, you have greatly disappointed me today. You acted rashly to a few silly words. As a leader, you can't let what others say get to you nor should you reacted with an intent to kill a valuable comrade. Personal feelings aside, Taro does speak some truth." The boy wanted to argue, but didn't dare, not wanting face his father's wraith.

Brighantia placed her hands over his, her wings fluttering behind her. She understood that he was out of his depth when it came to romancing. After all, on his journey here, he had broken ten Celestial Spirit girls' hearts, resulting in them never touching magic again. This time was different. He couldn't risk breaking her heart, he needed to capture its love, for only then would key and lock become one.

"The joy and love from a woman is a greater treasure than all of my hordes. Without your mother to complete me, our society would crumble back to the Black Ages. The Princess is your treasure, you must preserve and guard it with your life, if you are to become a real leader." King Mortain used his magic to create a small statue of his wife. Brighantia took it and shape shifted it into Lucy in her Star Maiden outfit.

"To lock up a living treasure is for it to lose its luster. As the stream flows into the river it become one with it, but ah each river is different, some fight against their current and others trap themselves. Only when the water reaches the ocean is it truly free," she said handing the statue to her son. "Romance her, talk with her, see her as an equal. She fights for freedom so give some of it to her. She'll eventually come around."

Kentaru nodded in understanding. Excusing himself he headed to suite to prepare it for a small get together with Lucy. His parents' remarks reminded him that he needed to make the prophecy come true. I alone earned the title Monster Lad, fighting my way here to prove the prophecy was mine. My success or failure depends on my actions in the future. No matter what, I will succeed in making Lucy Heartfilla mine! He thought to himself.

* * *

On Earthland the team was driving as fast as they could to reach the forest, appropriately named Grim Wildwoods, where Hoshi had predicted they meet several black dogs. Instead of returning to her village, Hoshi had decided to join them, temporarily taking Lucy's place. Of course, Natsu was angry as he watched the priestess talk with Gray. Hoshi didn't deserve to work with them. She had almost killed Lucy, his best friend, his gi, no wasn't going to think that. For once he was going to keep quiet.

"Natsu are you okay? You're not talking, has something happened to your voice?" Happy asked crawling up to his shoulder. "You've never been this quiet before. Are you not worried for Lucy?"

"Of course I'm worried for Lucy! I'm going to fry and tear everything single monster in my way! I'm just thinking about what spells I'm going to us when we find these dogs."

Wendy looked up, placing the lacremeia ball down. She had just gotten word that all the guilds who worked together during the Tartarus arc, had sent out mages to help track monsters. Without their spirits to help them, the Celestial mages started attempting to connect with their inner power. They wouldn't let their fellow mage and Star Maiden down.

Tugging on a strand of hair she reminded him that they needed to tame the dogs not kill them. "We can't risk killing a single member of the pack. If we kill the Alpha by accident, then the rest of the pack could scatter, losing our only lead." Turning to her beloved Carla she asked if she had any visions of her own that could help them.

Carla scrunched her face. Visions of the future usually came to her easily. She had her first premonition before she hatched! It was her visions that helped them defeat the first Face. This time it felt as if her power had purposely been blocked. She swore that she could hear the cawing of a raven. A whispering voice repeating, _"Never will you see the fate of the girl. Never will you save her nevermore!"_

"Someone is preventing me from seeing anything related to Lucy. All I hear is female cawing telling me I will never see Lucy." Pausing, she put her paws up to her head massaging her temples. She wrapped her tail around her body as she tried once more to see the future, but saw nothing except blackness.

Wendy put a comforting hand on her Exceed. Drawing her into a tight embrace she stroked the cat's fur, telling her it was okay if she couldn't see the future. She just needed to rest for a little while. Besides they had Hoshi to help out. She wasn't precognitive like Carla, still she had the ability to read the stars movements to tell them about unexpected signs of danger.

Said girl was busy with a spell. She had drawn out a tiny amount of power from her keys before tracing a twelve pointed star, (dodecgram), in the air. It glowed a soft yellow and red as it hovered over her left hand. "Great Guiding Star, shine your light brightly, guide us to the one we seek." The star flew out the window up into the late afternoon sky. It hung there in the sky, shining its light in the direction of the Grim Wildwoods. "As long as the Guiding Star is in the sky, it will keep us on the right path."

Erza nodded, turning the car in the direction of the heavenly symbol. Hopefully, she could keep the car going for a few more miles, before they had to stop. Closing her eyes she said a silent prayer for Lucy to have the strength and will to not give in to her capturer's demands. That she was intelligent enough to find a way to get free. Most importantly, not to lose hope and faith in her friends. Erza refused to think about letting anyone else suffer the same pain she went through as a child in the Tower of Heaven.

* * *

Lucy's will to fight hadn't falter, even as her fourth day of consciousness in the castle was closing. Her keen mind had determined a lot of facts about the world around her. When her tutor did his first lesson on the realm itself, she had memorized the map and secretly made another copy. Kiki and Mora had been pleased to retrieve books about the different creatures that lived here. If she was going to escape she needed to know everything about her enemies. Using her Gale Force Reading Glasses, (they had been in an inside pocket of her suitcase), she read at least a dozen books in a matter of two hours.

At the moment she had a few minutes to herself. The handmaidens had taken her dresses to be redone in a simpler yet elegant style. Daichi was not schedule for ten minutes to escort her to Kentaru for the evening. He was creep, handsome she admitted, but still a creep. "If he looks at me again like I'm a trophy, I'm going to kick him in the groin," she vowed, as she was again tried to undo the locks on the bell jar again. Pushing her hands against the magical barrier, she fought harder and harder to get through. "I'm not going to give up. These keys are minnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeee ahhhhhhhh!" The force of the backlash sent her crashing into a chair, flipping it over with it landing on top of her. "Dammit, I thought I almost had it!"

Suddenly the chair was lifted off her body followed by a chuckle. Flipping over she was surprised by who had removed the furniture. "I would say it's futile to try to break the barrier around the jar except I find it very amusing to watch you try. Very few humans are as defiant as you. I wonder if you'll actually break through the barrier one day." Kentaru placed the chair back on the ground waiting for her to get up. He knew better then to always offer her a hand up.

Grateful he wasn't touching her, Lucy picked herself up. She smoothed a crease in her skirt. Her hair was a mess, so she quickly wove it into a braid using a purple ribbon to knot it. Turning to face the prince she was surprised he was wearing a very simple kimono in comparison to his royal ones. She arched her eyebrow.

"I thought you might want to see I can be simple like you if I choose. I have some plans for us tonight. Shall we go," he asked gesturing towards the door. Puzzled, Lucy exited her suite simply amazed that Daichi wasn't there. Instead, Nori was growling at a small basket covered in a white cloth. Something was patting the cloth and squeaking. Curious, she picked up the basket and removed the cloth. Inside was a big black kitten, the fur on its back standing straight up and large white tuff on its chest. The little creature jumped out of the basket onto Lucy shoulder before curling up around her neck.

Lucy gently dislodged the kitten and held in in her hands. She had basically sworn off cats when she first met Happy. Every Exceed she met had further driven her away from cats. Still, even knowing she was holding a dangerous creature in her hands, she couldn't resist the smile that appeared on her face. "Cath Sith kitten, how romantic of you. I assume she's not going to attack and maim me."

The Prince laughed, this kitten, named Onyx, was pretty gentle compared to the rest of her kind. He did warn her that Cath Sith grow up rather quickly, so enjoy cuddle time while she had it. Telling Nori to heel the "couple" started heading to the south region of the castle. Kentaru promised her the most beautiful concert she had ever heard. Even Nori barked in excitement having a great love of music. Lucy actively engaged in the conversation, making sure no one saw her drop a few strips of her hair ribbon to mark her path. She got the idea after she had ripped her hair ribbon out that first day.

Arriving in the concert hall she saw an orchestra made up of different musical talented monsters holding mostly handmade instruments. She shuddered knowing that several of the instruments had to have come from victims. At least some of the orchestra members had regular instruments. On the stage stands had been set up along with some glowing crystals creating different colored lights. The choir startled to assemble. The winged Siren sisters stood on the highest platform to the right. A few Asins took their place on the left. The middle stands stood a range of beings such as Chengyous, Kinnaras and Morgens. The bottom was made up of several different kinds of mermaids as the Banshee took her place in front of the mike for solos.

"They're music isn't going to hurt me right?" Lucy asked. Kentaru snatched a lock from his belt and cast a protective spell around them. Now they were safe from any adverse effects. The conductor tapped his wand and the concert began.

The songs were all different. Some had sadden haunted melodies and others pulled at your heart strings. The instruments could change the tune from joyful and happy, to fear and chaos. Nori howled each song on key as Onyx buried herself into Lucy's clothing yowling about how bad it was. At one point she asked if the singers did requests. She blushed as Kentaru halted the concert so that she could go up on stage to sing a song.

* * *

"This isn't what I wanted. I thought I could get them to sing a few secrets, now I have to sing a song that will hide my true intentions. Come on Lucy think fast," she whispered as she hurried up on the stage. Her mind frantically searched for a song as she leaned forward to tell the orchestra what key to play. An image of Natsu appeared in her head. With a split second decision she whispered what key was needed. Then she hummed a few lines so they knew what instruments to use. Standing up she hurried to the mike. "Um hi, you all know who I am. I wanted to say I'm enjoying the concert immensely. You're all talented musicians and singers. Since Prince Kentaru has been so kind to me, I thought I sing him a special song. The tile is "Lullaby," by a band called Nickleback. I hope you enjoy it.

"_Well, I know the feeling of finding yourself stuck out on the ledge.  
And there ain't no healing from cutting yourself with the jagged edge,  
I'm telling you that, it's never that bad. Take it from someone who's been where you're at laid out on the floor. And you're not sure you can take this anymore._

_So just give it one more try to a lullaby and turn this up on the radio.  
If you can hear me now, I'm reaching out to let you know that you're not alone.  
And if you can't tell, I'm scared as hell,' Cause I can't get you on the telephone  
So just close your eyes, oh, honey here comes a lullaby. Your very own lullaby._

_Please let me take you out of the darkness and into the light.  
'Cause I have faith in you, that you're gonna make it through another night.  
Stop thinking about the easy way out. There's no need to go and blow the candle out. Because you're not done, you're far too young._ _And the best is yet to come._

_So just give it one more try to a lullaby and turn this up on the radio.  
If you can hear me now, I'm reaching out to let you know that you're not alone  
and if you can't tell, I'm scared as hell, 'Cause I can't get you on the telephone. So just close your eyes, oh, honey here comes a lullaby. Your very own lullaby._

_Well, everybody's hit the bottom. Everybody's been forgotten.  
When everybody's tired of being alone, yeah, everybody's been abandoned, and left a little empty handed. So if you're out there barely hanging on..._

_Just give it one more try to a lullaby and turn this up on the radio  
If you can hear me now, I'm reaching out to let you know that you're not alone.  
And if you can't tell, I'm scared as hell, 'Cause I can't get you on the telephone.  
So just close your eyes oh, honey here comes a lullaby.  
Your very own lullaby oh, honey here comes a lullaby.  
Your very own lullaby." _

The applause was stupendous and for a second Lucy was stunned. Nervously she turned around, a little creeped out by the fact that actual creatures thought she had sung nicely. Kentaru walked up the stage as crystal roses appeared in his hands. "Wonderful my precious treasure. I love that you dedicated that song to me. I never suspect you had such a soulful voice. Perhaps, I should attempt something such an endeavor." He pondered that thought. He knew she liked to write, then the perfect gift to give her was a hand written story.

His precious treasure, was currently being swarmed by several of the singers and the orchestra. The banshee was offering personal lessons to give more power to her voice. Even the sirens had taken an interested in her. Feeling trapped, Lucy took a few steps back almost falling into the pit, if it wasn't for the timely assist from the pets. "I think that's enough music for now. Um, anything else you want to do?"

* * *

Once they escaped the confines of the music hall, Kentaru noted how stressed, his precious treasure was. Thinking a bit of fresh air would help, he unlocked the doors the private garden. The second she smelled slightly dank, but fresh air, she bolted in the garden. All around her she saw brilliant flowers: Icy Lilies, Phoenix Point Settates even a few rare Fruit Flowers. Seeing a bright green and blue bushes, she moved closer. Faster then the eye could see, Kentaru's katana slashed the creeping branches and snarled at the plant. "Be careful. The tangler bush hasn't been trimmed back yet."

"How do these plants survive without sunlight? Certainly glow worms can't simulate sunlight correct?"

"A combination of plant related creatures and magic. This garden isn't just for pleasure. All around the realm you'll find greenhouses for magical plants. We use the plants for food, medicine, and potions. Everything in our world has a purpose, even if it's not obvious at first," the Prince explained. He led her towards a grove of jeweled trees. Gold, silver, diamonds. Precious metals and minerals of all sorts jingled as the wind blew through the garden. Tugging a single leave off a gold tree she wondered how much this would be worth to someone. "Are these tree common?"

He shook his head, it was difficult to cultivate the plant. In deeper tunnels a few grew wild. Only select greenhouse had them and you needed special permission to grow them. The whole tree had many purposes, but a 24 karat leaf would sell high if you found the right person. Seeing her interest sparked he asked, "Do you want to see more? The garden is one of my favorite places in the world. I come here often to relax after a hard day of princing."

She raised an eyebrow in amusement mouthing princing. A genuine giggle escaped her mouth. Well it wasn't as if she didn't use the words princessing or maiden work. Maybe I can use this to my advantage. Some of these plants have to have properties that could assist in my escape. Adjusting her hold on Onyx's basket she strolled confidently beside her kidnapper.

They came upon a pond where several hovering lotus floated over their pads. Whistling reeds covered the sides of the pond. Reaching in Kentaru showed Lucy some gillyweed explaining its magical properties to her. Continuing their visit the Fairy Tail mage managed to sneak a few plant sampled into the basket. None of them bother the kitten, who was rolling around them. She was extra careful when they came across a batch of raskovnick, a plant that could open any _lock!_ She managed to hide a small bundle of the grass four leaf clover shaped plants. Hopefully it work on undoing the spell and locks on the bell jar.

* * *

That night Lucy started planning her escape. On her bed was everything she needed to escape, well at least, she hoped she did. She had her map, hair ribbons, two needles she had "borrowed" from her hand maidens along with the plants she need. Her suitcase was packed and inside were also some supplies to help get over the wall while surviving in the Shadow Crystal long enough before heading out to look for an weakness in the seal. She was only missing one thing.

"I need something of Kentaru's to show that I'm allowed out of the walls. If I have some proof of that then I can move around the city a little easier before they figure out I'm escaping, but what can I use as proof? Hmm." Thinking hard she recalled what she knew about the man. Suddenly an idea struck her. Her jewelry showed her ranking, maybe he had something that could be used, like a lock! If she could just slip one lock off, it might work as proof she was allowed out.

"I swear by tomorrow night I will have that lock and be out of here faster than they can blink!" she vowed.

The next night she was ready to go. As a courting gift, Kentaru had presented her with a magic diary to write her thoughts in, maybe even start a new novel. It was a beautiful black leather bound book with roses etched on it. A tiny lock kept the book shut, he imbued his magic in the lock so only she could open the book. He mistook her smile of joy that she loved the gift, not knowing she was pleased to have something of his for her escape.

It was nearly two in the morning by the time she heard the guards outside her door slowly drift off to sleep. It was good thing she brought them a large amount of her dinner to them so they sleep on a full stomach. Ignoring the grumbling of her own stomach she got to work.

"Let's hope this works. Alright little lock, this is all up to you." She held the lock up before pressing it against the barrier. It pushed back trying to force her away. Using both hands she pushed harder creating a crack in the barrier. She reached in and grab the bell jar before the barrier closed itself once more. "I got them! Okay now I just need to eeerrrr. Are you kidding me?"

The crushed raskovnick wasn't opening the locks. The locks on the bell jar each had different seals on them. One of them looked like the print on Kentaru's poltergeist lock. Without the right locks the jar would remain shut. Angrily she shoved the jar into her suitcase. Hopefully someone at the guild could open it. Taking out the two needles she had taken she jiggled them around in the lock on the door for a few minutes before there was a click.

Slowly she pushed open the door. The Elokos had fallen into a deep sleep. Slipping past them she started following the hair ribbons on the floor. If she could get back to the garden, then it would be easy to scale the wall before losing herself in the city. Using her map, she find a way out and this whole ordeal would be over.

She hurried through the halls, her heart pounding as she followed the trail. She was just about to get to the garden doors, when she heard someone coming. Sprinkling the crushed plant over a locked door, it magically opened. She darted in and closed it behind just in time. Adviser Taro was passing by having a disagreement with Seeress Corvusina. Pressing her ear to the door, could hear them.

"You and that boy. I told you that your silly prophecy wouldn't work. That girl isn't fit to be here! Even if the so called Monster Lad successfully woes her, she'll never give herself completely over to our side," Taro argued, his voice bellowing loudly. He said what Lucy could only surmised as a string of cusses before he resumed his tirade. "Using the girl in this way isn't going to free us. I say we ransom her, forcing the Celestial King and Queen to break our seal then kill her anyways."

There was a sound of beating wings, someone getting pecked hard and a little fighting before she heard a Taro submitted. "Ignorant fool! That plan has never worked! Repeating the mistakes of the past got us locked into this realm, remember? This way we can free ourselves without relying on the stupid star beings. Trust me my words Taro, that girl is in denial now. Soon though, she'll change and victory will be sealed." The bird woman raved. Ten minutes later they were gone.

* * *

What did they mean by change? Lucy mused. Not wanting to think about it she hurried to the gardens making her way to the treasure trees. Climbing to the top of one, she pulled all her dresses tied together in a make shift lasso. Her whip was still locked in the shadow box so for now she hoped this would hold. Whirling it around she managed to wrap it around a gargoyle. Pulling tight she was going to swing down and then climb. At that moment a wave of dizziness passed through. Her eyes burned and her skin started to itch like crazy. She let out a cry of pain as she felt something coming trying to get out of her back. Looking down at her skin, she saw dark stripes rising up. With a scream she fell out of the tree, hitting her head on the ground, and knowing nothing more.

When she woke up found herself in a strange room. It appeared to a cross between a doctor's office and a sorcerer workshop. Pain racked across her body. She tried to turn over to alleviate the back only to find her strapped down. She started to struggle frantically. A shadow fell on her, looking up she was terrified by the cross look on Kentaru's face and the grim look his majordomo was giving her.

"Of all the stupid things you could try girl, I think this one was the biggest one. I consider myself a mild manner Hibagon, but clearly you have tested my patience to the limit!" Daichi growled. It took a lot to anger him and Lucy had done it within five days of being here!

"Daichi enough."

"My Prince she..."

"I said enough! I know you're looking out for me old friend, but I need to handle this by myself. Return her things to her suite and do a sweep for any items she could use to escape. I need to talk to her." The young man looked up at Daichi with trusted eyes. The Hibagon sighed before giving him a quick bow and hurrying away.

Lucy whimpered, she was afraid what would happen to her now. She tried to look away, but couldn't because of the straps. Her heart started racing as she took another look at her skin. Those markings made her squirm. What was happening to her?

"I told you that your body was learning to adjust our environment, but I realize I should have been clearer about the transformation. I'm sorry," he apologized as he undid the straps. He could sense his counterpart was too scared right now to bolt. Running fingers through his hair he explained everything.

During her time in the cocoon, Corvusina had given her a potion to transform her body into something that could survive down here, a creature who would bond more easily with him. They had sealed her magic as a precaution so she wouldn't lose it during the transformation. As long as Lucy heart and soul were pure and full of love, her Celestial magic would remain. Once complete she'd be the only human turned monster that kept her prized magic.

He also informed her that if she tried to fight the transformation she would either go insane or die. That's what had happened to the prisoners from the war long ago. As long as she remained here, she couldn't access her immortality, so her mortal death would be the end of her. Her only chance to survive was to embrace the transformation and slowly change her allegiances. The Prince left her alone as Lucy cried her heart out. Her attempt to escape had turned into a fight to live. What was she going to do?

**Merry Christmas!**


	6. Stay Out of the Woods

_Happy New Year Everyone! Welcome to 2015! Hope you enjoy the first new chapter in the new year from me!_

* * *

It was mid-afternoon in the Fairy Tail Guild. Master Markov had enforced Loki's decree that no jobs would take place, unless they helped them in their quest to save Lucy. A few members had grumbled about it, why should they stop everything they were doing, just because one member couldn't keep out of trouble? Those discontented members were soon dealt with by Elfman. He had transformed into Beast Soul, snarling and roaring, he scared them so bad they ran out of the guild.

"Good riddance, we need a real man around to do things," he stated as he released his magic. He headed over to the bar where his siblings, along with Levy and Freed, sat at the bar hoping to find helpful information. Mirajane and Lisanna had ransacked the archives looking for any material related to their enemies. No matter how hard they searched it seems those tomes had been stolen. When they requested to borrow tomes from other guilds, they soon learned all the books about monsters, beasts, mythical creatures; everything that could help them, was gone.

Lisanna was extremely frustrated. "I don't know how it happened big sis! I'm responsible for making sure that nothing goes missing from the archives. Everything that was taken out or reviewed has been accounted for. Those tomes are the only thing missing."

Mirajane rested her chin on her hand musing. "If what Loki told us was true, that we've only encountered about two percent of the entire Endless Realm of Monsters population, then it's possible one of them stole everything on orders from their king and queen." The books had only gone missing a week before Lucy's magic problems began. That was too much of coincidence to ignore.

"Are you certain that none of your Take Overs, have memory or information that we can use?" Levy asked, placing her pen down. Teaming up with Freed, the two Letter Magic users, were attempting to call forth and retrieve the words from the missing books and make their own copy to use. So far they had manage to recover ten pages worth of material from one book. It was small achievement considering how many pages per book and the time it took to gather the lost words.

"Found anything useful yet Freed?" she asked her partner. Freed didn't reply, lost in his work. He was certain that the page he was working on was going to reveal an important piece of information. He just needed to push his limits to call the letters back, then using his rule making runes, he would keep them trapped in the blank book. "If I just alter that word a bit, be a bit more precise with the rules here, almost got it come on."

"FREED!" A loud voice yelled into his ear. He tried to jump back, but ended up toppling off his stool. His rapier slid across the floor before getting trapped in a crack in the floor. From the other side of the room he could see his teammates smirking at him. Ignoring their looks, he retrieved his rapier before righting his stool and setting it down. "So, was there a reason you decide to shout at me?"

"Sorry, I've been trying for ten minutes to get you respond to my question. Have you found anything that can help us?" The blue haired girl asked, as she twisted her stool so she was looking right at him.

"Perhaps, I was almost finished with collecting another page before I was interrupted," he stated causing Levy to flush in embarrassment. Turning back to the book, he saw that the bottom half had started to smoke and crackle. Before he could react the smoke and spark stopped. Staring down on the page he realized something, "The pages are returning to us in the condition they were in. We can't retrieve information that has already been destroyed."

Levy pouted, she knew that was a possibility when they started this project. "I was hoping for a miracle that this wouldn't happen. Well, what did you find?"

"The page was about the different types of Black Dogs. The author was about to describe a way to capture and tame the beasts for a little while. It started to describe some kind of enchanted leash before it stops," he explained. Pausing for a moment to think. He knew that Team Natsu had contacted them early this morning that they were tracking a pack of Black Dogs that they hoped to encounter some point today. He may not have the complete answer, but this clue could make their quest easier. "Where's the lacremeia crystal ball?"

"Master Markov, took it to his office. He's in constant contact with the other guilds. Each of them are reporting anything of importance to him," Mirajane explained, before pointing to Laxus, who had a spare lacremeia crystal ball. Freed joined the rest of his teammates as they attempted to contact the others.

* * *

In his office, Markov, was nearing the end of his conversation, with Bob, the Blue Pegasus Guildmaster. "Are you certain that your mage saw what she saw?"

"Oh yes, Jenny Realight never lies and keeps her word no matter what. If she claims that she saw several weird flying creatures going south towards the coast, then she did," Bob responded. He held the members of the guild to a high standard, wanting them to be more than a pretty face. Good manners, honesty, and helpful people made Blue Pegasus a very respectful Guild.

"Thank you Bob, I'll contact you again if I need anything. Bye." Markov shut down the ball and sighed. He'd been hearing similar reports from other guilds for nearly five days now. They were all the same, strange creatures or shadow figures traveling across the land, all heading to the coast. "If their surveying the land and finding the best vantage point then we're in real trouble."

* * *

The team had just arrived at the Grim Wildwoods, following the Guiding Star. The Star was zooming across the sky zig zagging all over the woods. At this point they, were forced to leave the car and walk on foot. The woods was a mix of old dying trees with healthy plants. You could hear the sounds of water rushing in the distance. The sun was partially obscured by the clouds. As they approached a path that would lead in, they came across an old battered sign. "Grim Wildwoods. Stay out if you value your life!" Erza read. Turning her back to the sign she stared at her friends. "We're not scared of some old woods are we? All of us have faced scarier things than a bunch of scary black dogs right?"

The human members responded in a positive manner to Erza, but the Exceeds were a little more hesitant. "I don't know, dogs can be pretty scary. What if they try to eat us?" Happy whispered to Carla. "I don't want to end up as one of their snacks." Carla whispered back, "Don't be a worry wart, nothing will happen to us, I promise." Taking a deep breath the Exceeds followed their companions into the woods.

The group had taken only a few steps in when the branches of the trees nearest the path started to creak and bend until they blocked the entrance. Immediately Erza, Gray, and Natsu, attempted to reopen the path back, but none of their attacks put a scratch into the branches. "It's no use, the trees must be filled with a counter magic to prevent anyone from escaping the woods." Gray stated, wiping some sweat from his forehead. As usual he was missing his shirt.

"Then we'll just make another exit later. Right now, let's hunt down some dogs." Natsu almost yelled. He felt something inside him tearing. His feelings kept circling in his head. Thinking about Lucy made the emotions stronger. Worry, anger, joy and fondness, appeared to intensify in his mind threatening to take over. He let out a roar of fire into the air startling everyone. The trees and grass responded instantly to the threat.

The grass started growing taller as it trapped his feet. Bushes shot thorns at him peppering his front while poisoning him. Leaves rained down covering his face in an attempt to smother him to death. "Natsu! Hold on, I'm coming!" Happy activate his wings flying towards his friend. The blue cat landed on a small bit of uninjured left shoulder. Reaching out with his claws he started to remove the thorns one by one. Moss from the tree branches moved by itself, down the trees, before it started crawling up Natsu. Happy didn't notice until the moss started to _eat _his tail.

"AHHHHHHH! I KNEW SOMETHING WAS GOING TO EAT ME!"

"Happy help me! The one time I wish Droy was here and he's not around!"

Erza readied her sword and Gray started coating his hands in ice when Hoshi raised her voice. "Stop! The woods is only trying to protect itself from the fire. Look!" Little fires dotted the area, burning the grass. Small bushes tried to uproot themselves as one tree's roots caught on fire. As the fires increased so did the level of retaliation against Natsu. "You two help stop the fires. Wendy and Carla, you're with me!"

The Celestial Priestess jumped and darted around the flames until she came to the nearest tree. Placing her hands on the trunk, she cast a spell. "Space Magic: Healing Sunshine!" Pure sunlight coated her hands as she warmed up the tree, healing it. Gray shot a burst of ice to put out the fire. "That's right, you're safe, there's nothing to worry about anymore."

"Sky Dragon's Healing Spell!" Wendy roared before she spun around blasting the area with pure clean air that healed the plants. Her spell hit Natsu, draining the poison right out of him. Carla was speaking to the plant life, trying to convince it that Natsu wouldn't hurt them anymore. Finally, the plants let go as the last of the fires sizzled out.

* * *

Natsu swayed on his feet before falling down on the ground. He moaned about feeling like a tossed salad before sleep overtook him. When he woke again he saw that they were no longer on the narrow path, but sitting on the edge of small meadow. Across the meadow, he could see a huge thicket. Taking a sniff, he smelled dog slobber and death. "Alright we found them! Let's get going oof!" Erza had punched him in the stomach causing him to crumble again.

"Welcome back to the world. Feeling normal?" Gray asked casually. He had found his shirt. In his hands was the lacremeia crystal ball. By the dimming light he had just finished talking with someone. Placing the crystal away, he anticipated Natsu's question. "So after the wildwoods backed off from killing you, we followed the Guiding Star, making sure not to antagonize the plant life. At one point the guild was trying to contact us, but the woods makes it difficult to get a clear message."

Hoshi appeared with a small pouch with some small treats. She also rummaged out a lighter, flicking it on, using one hand to keep the flame under control. Begrudgingly he ate both the small fire and the treats. "Your friend Laxus, managed to boost the signal with his power. We learned that we need to create some kind of enchanted leash to tame the dogs. They also warned us to identify the different types before approaching."

Reluctantly Natsu nodded. His usual head on approach would probably get himself killed and no closer to helping Lucy. The best bet was to wait until Erza had a strategy they could use. He just hoped the pack didn't leave the area while they were planning.

At the edge of the meadow, Erza was giving the Exceeds last minute instructions. They were to fly to the other end of the meadow, find the pack, then identify the members before swiftly returning. Carla nodded, promising she would make sure that their scent wasn't picked up. Placing two pairs of binoculars in Happy's backpack, they flew off across the meadow.

"I hope they can identify the members of the pack, Black Dogs are common types of beasts, but each one is a little different than the other," Hoshi pointed out. She wrung her hands as she paced about. "I wish I had thought to check the village library to see if they had any books on monsters."

Natsu snorted, muttering under his breath how books would only get you so far. Hoshi chose to ignore him. If he was still carrying a grudge, then she would just have to accept it. To him, she would always be the one who nearly killed his best friend and that nothing she could do would ever make amends. She started counting her keys, wondering who to summon to help her.

The King and Queen had sealed almost all the gates, making only exceptions for Lucy and Hoshi's keys. To ensure that the gates remained closed Hoshi was instructed to only summon one Celestial Spirit per day. After going through all her keys, she selected one before putting the others away just as the Exceeds returned. Both of them looked very scared and kept glancing back to thicket they came from.

* * *

"We, we, we found the pack! There were six Black Dogs circling around a huge pile of meat. I swear I smelled dead human flesh!" Happy stated, as he twisted his tail about. "They all had black fur and growling at one another. I think they were arguing about getting more food."

"Could you identify their types? Determine who was the Alpha? Think this is important," Erza urged. Carla spoke up describing the dogs, hoping someone else could identify them.

"I think I know who the Alpha is. This dog was huge, almost the size of a horse. Its fur was short and thick. I saw it stand upright so it could rip the flesh off a person neck if it wanted to. The Beta, was a dog about the size of a cow with long shaggy greenish black fur. The paws were the same size of a human hand and its long tail curled along its back."

Hoshi felt something in the back of her mind itching. Seconds later she blurted out the types of dogs. "The first one you described is called an Aufhocker; the animal can change its size and weight in order to crush their prey to death, but their best killing method is jumping on your shoulders causing an instant fright death. They're vulnerable to church bells and sunlight. The second dog is a Ce Sith. It's barking causes its prey to slowly die, if you hear three barks in a row you'll keel over dead. The only safety against them is return home or having something to block out the barks."

The others looked at her curiously. "I though you didn't know anything about monsters and beasts. So why can you identify two of the dogs?" Wendy asked suspiciously. Hoshi shrugged, explaining the itching her mind and knowledge just popping in her mind. Wendy suggested maybe all Celestial Mages unconsciously recognized their spirits enemies. To test it they asked Carla to continue her description of the other four pack members.

The next dog was able to shift shape into other animals, such as a bat or frog, but it was always black with blue flames hovering above its head. (Kludde). You had to avoid being pinned to the ground by the animal or successfully pin it causing the dog to submit, just long enough to escape.

Then there was a dog that was size of a horse, but leaner. Its eyes appeared as mini fireballs and could smell a guilty conscious, their favorite kind of prey. (Oscharet). The best defense was to have a priest to use a ritual to banish the creature from an area for ninety nine years.

The last two, were easily identifiable. One, was described as a medium size dog with glowing white eyes, doing lone patrols. Its paws seemed to grow in size when it had spotted a small raccoon and killed it quickly. (Plat-Eye). Only defense was large groups to avoid having anyone singled out. Lastly, there was a normal sized dog that had glowing eyes and made squelching sounds. Carla mentioned how it always stayed behind the others and bad luck followed behind it. (Skriker). A tricky animal indeed. If you hurt it at all, then disaster befell you. Ignore it and you be cursed forever with bad luck. Best defense was ask it nicely to leave you alone.

"That's a lot of deadly dogs. Each can kill us within seconds unless we can subdue them with their weaknesses. Unless we subdue them all at the same time we're going to die," Gray pointed out. "We still need to figure out how to make an enchanted leash to control them all." He scratched his chin wondering if each dog needed a special type of leash to control them.

"The guild was certain that we only needed one type. Our best strategy is stay close together and quickly subdue the animals. Perhaps we can cage them up until we find the leash," Erza said.

"Maybe we just need one canine to talk to another. Open the Gate of the Canine: Dog!" A dog house appeared as something bounced out. The Celestial Spirit Yen Dog, toppled her master licking her. "Okay that's enough. Come on Yen focus."

"Of course my Mistress. How can I be of service to you?" Yen asked sitting as a proper dog should. Hoshi explained how her powers over youth and immortality would be crucial. She could cast her powers in a radius of twenty feet. As long as the group stayed close to her they would die. She was also willing to set aside her distaste of the Black Dogs in order to talk to them. With everyone ready, the started their slow march across the meadow towards the pack.

* * *

They reached the thicket, making their way slowly through the trees. After a few minutes they reached the edge and crouched down thankful that they were downwind of the dogs. Carla and Happy's earlier observations were correct. They did have a pretty large food pile. How they were going to transport it all back was a mystery to them, but it looked like the pack was about ready to leave. The Aufhocker was barking commands as the pack stood at attention.

Yen opened her ears as wide as possible as she listened to the barks. Tilting her head a little she wrinkled her nose, a sign she wasn't pleased about something. "They've collect enough meat not only for the Nifoloas, who were the reason for the hunt, but enough to satisfy most their Realm for weeks, maybe even months."

"I'm guessing some of that meat is human?" Wendy asked. She got a nod. Instead of panicking, she steeled her eyes. She wasn't going to back down. That's when Yen whispered something else the dogs had said. "They're worried, not about getting home, but that someone will spot them and leash them. Something about this area having, I can't tell if its plant or metal, that could be use to control them for a while."

Before they could ponder this, the wind shifted carrying their scent towards the dogs. Instantly their body language changed as they started to stalk towards their hiding place. Yen burst out of the thicket growling. Her gem lit up glittering with her power. The others took this as the cue to come out, magic ready. The alpha, seeing the mages, started barking orders to his pack. The dogs lunged at them, herding the group out in the open where they had a better chance at taking them all out.

"Remember, stay in twenty foot radius of Yen and don't get separated from the group. We can do this," Hoshi stated. Her hands were gathering magic in them as she stared down the alpha. That dog wanted her dead fast. In instant it stood up growing taller baring its teeth at her. Yen stood protectively in front of Hoshi. "Celestial Magic: Energy Wave!"

A wave of gold energy spread out. The other members of the pack jumped out the way, but the alpha stood his ground. He let himself get hit by that attack, ignoring the pain of Celestial Energy passing through his body. Once it was over, he shook off the attack. He lunged at her at her again, as Yen tried to bite his underbelly. Valiantly the Dog Spirit attacked again and again pushing the huge beast back. The Aufhocker lashed its tail out, swatting her past Hoshi and landing just on the edge of her radius. The shift in her position left Hoshi partially open.

Hoshi saw the dog leaping in the air, intending to land on her shoulders to kill her with its death fright. For the second time that day she cast her Healing Sunshine spell. The beast retreated for a minute looking for another way to attack.

Erza had requiped into her Beast Slayer armor. It consisted of a thick red body suit, with silver breast plate, shoulder, neck, and helmet armor. Her wrists and biceps plus her thighs also had metal, and her boots were red and silver. She carried a silver broadsword in her hands and attached to her side was a metal chain.

The Ce Sith prowled around trying to get closer to Erza, who parried each swipe of the paws. "I refuse to be defeated by a monster such as yourself. You will lead us to our friend." The Knight slashed down and up with her sword cutting some of the fur and injuring the base of the Ce Sith tail. It whined loudly, anger clear on its face. It started barking furiously at Erza, but her helmet blocked out the sound. Infuriated, the battle continued. Nothing would stop either opponent from defeating the other one.

Gray dove to the ground narrowly avoiding being bit by a black bat with a halo of blue flames screeched by. "Ice Make: Bat box!" A small bat box of ice started to surround the bat, who quickly changed shape. This time it was hopping mad frog. The frog was huge, getting bigger as it tongue shot out wrapping itself around Gray's arm. The ice mage struggled to stand up. Sloppily, with one hand he cast another spell. Ice Make: Lilly pad!" The Kludde slipped on the ice letting go of the mage's arm.

"That hurts a lot. I wonder if the tongue was poisonous." Gray pondered. In the chaos someone yelled, "Look out Gray!" The Kludde was once more a dog, leaping into the air, it was determined to pin Gray to the ground to eat him. It accomplished that and started to get heavier to crush him to death. Cleverly, Gray formed a protective ice bar to keep the dog from forcing too much weight on him. Hopefully it could by him some time to get out from under the beast.

Natsu used his Dragon Roar trying to burn the Oscharet to the ground. The beast snarled, drawing the fire directly into it blazing eyes giving it power. It attempted to circle around, ignoring the pain from Yen's magic. It sniffed the air locking its eyes on Natsu's face. The Oscharet's tail wagged excitedly. It howled knowing it had found its prey.

"What? Is that all you do you dumb dog? You can't kill me, I don't have a guilty conscious about anything!" Natsu argued out loud. Inside his mind, a little voice reminded him he felt guilty about not protecting Lucy better or admit how he felt, no wasn't going to think about it! Coming back to reality, the beast was circling him tighter trying to crush him with his guilty conscious until he could deliver the killing pounce and bite. That was not going to happen if he had anything to say about it.

"I'm all fired up! Fire Dragonslayer: Wing Attack!" He met the beast head on, slamming his weight into the dog. Caught off guard, the beast was disoriented for a few seconds. Then it started to twist his head, nearly snapping off Natsu's right hand. Natsu avoided the attack, trying get some distance so his mind didn't start hurting him again.

The Plat-Eye dog had changed to match Wendy's size. It reached out with it long paws, trying to grab her, but she used her Venire Arms attacks keeping it a safe distance. Drawing in more air she let loose another roar, but the dog refused to be pushed away. "Have to keep it away. The second it catches me, it will eat me! Oh we need that enchanted leash now! Carla, any ideas yet?"

"Maybe, hold on a second!" The Skriker was chasing Happy, all while making those disgusting sounds. Flying above she noticed how the beast stayed away from an ivy vine. It was afraid of it. Suddenly, Happy's bad luck activated. He stumbled back into the ivy, getting twisted in it. He rolled around landing in front of the dog. Happy feared for his life thinking he was going to be eaten. Strangely, the Skriker slunk backwards. A quick glance at Erza, showed the Ce Sith, was trying to get her to throw the chain away. "That's it!"

Carla dove down, tugging the ivy vine off Happy, before flying to Erza and dropping it in the Knight's hands. "Wrap it around your chain and push your magic into it! That will make the enchanted leash!" Erza nodded quickly. Twisting the two items together, she poured her magic into it. As she finished the ivy chain changed. It was glowing white as six collars shot out and latched themselves around the dogs' necks. There was a brief struggle, then the dogs submitted to Erza. They had done it! Now they could use the dogs to lead them to Lucy.

* * *

A new week was starting in the Endless realm. Two days ago, Lucy had been told the worse news in her life. She was becoming a monster, in fact, no one knew what type she would become. After being released from the infirmary, she was certain she'd be put in the dungeon until her transformation was over or she died. So it was a surprise when her handmaidens had led her back to her room where Kentaru, Daichi, and Nori sat waiting for her in the parlor.

She stood still, waiting to see what they would say to her. She didn't even move to scratch Onyx. Ignoring the pain in her arms, as the stripes dug deeper into her skin, and keeping her back straight, even with the buds on her back, she still didn't make a move. One wrong word or action could have serious consequences.

"It's nice to see you finally acting your rank Your Highness. I hope that you will behave properly from now on," Daichi stated smiling brightly. It was a nice change to see the girl acting nicer than before. He looked towards his prince waiting to see what his wishes were. The Prince handed him the bell jar, now containing the bronze keys, telling him to hide it somewhere in the suite. The Hibagon raised a single eyebrow, but did as he was instructed.

Kentaru knew his actions puzzled Lucy. Why would he leave the bell jar with her if she tried to escape again? Smirking internally he thought that as long as Lucy had false hope, she would fight to stay alive. That's when he would start manipulating her, letting her see no one was coming, that she only had him to turn to. Soon he would earn her love and they would fulfill the prophecy. He absolutely loved getting what he wanted.

"I've decided to give you a second chance my precious treasure. Love is about making mistakes and making up isn't it?" Kentaru simply said. He gave her a simple smile. He then kissed her on the cheek as Nori nuzzled her legs along with Onyx. She stumbled back, "Why would you do that? I didn't give you permission to touch me like that!" Pressing her hand against her cheek, she tried to wipe away the kiss. "For someone who acts like a gentlemen, that was a big breach of protocol."

"Why? We are alone, so no one can see us. I have kept our dates simple, yet offering you nice gifts. I somewhat paid for our grand dinner," he counted off his fingers. His eyes twinkled as he spoke about how he was following the ladies first rule. "What's a little contact between two people, who according to Seeress Corvusina, our own personal little omiai ,(matchmaker), that we're meant to be together?"

Lucy shook her head. When had she had a chance to say anything about what _she _wanted in a relationship? Daichi entered the room again, his hands empty. A tiny sliver of hope returned. If her belongings had been hidden, hopefully she could find them, though a big part of her doubted it. Another painful wave hit her body as she bent over in pain. She twisted about trying to avoid falling to the floor. Her insides felt like they were having a party inside her. Gritting her teeth, Lucy pushed back, forcing the transformation to stop for a time.

Kentaru shook his head, didn't she hear him back in the infirmary? Judging by her expression, she knew the consequences. She was just ignoring his advice. Her confidence in her own ability to fight the transformation and remain pure was rather remarkable.

Lucy looked at his face reading him easily. He thought she was acting foolish for fighting the transformation process. He admired her spirit even if he didn't believe she could succeed. Kentaru wanted to be her "hero". Help her through this transformation. If he could hide his monster form, (she believed he stayed in his human form for convenience), then it was a skill that he wanted to pass on.

Daichi watched both of them, following along their silent conversation as they made subtle movements and expressions. Clearly both believed they could win this fight and that the other one would regret it. His prince stubbornness, along with his direct manner, indicated that he was in control of the situation. With his powers backing him up it appeared to be obvious he get his way. The black and white furred creature turned to look at the princess, expecting her to back down.

That wasn't the case. Her scent was strong and conveyed a lot to his nose. This girl refused to submit. Confidence, strong willed, and an independent spirit surrounded her. Listening to her heartbeat her determination matched perfectly with Kentaru's stubbornness. If her magic wasn't sealed right now he wasn't sure if his master could withstand her power. Both of them back down at the same time and he wondered who would win this fight.

* * *

In the days that followed, the couple started spending most of their time together in the gymnasium. Initially, Kentaru had brought her here to build up her physical strength so her body could better tolerate the transformation. Instead Lucy was using all the exercise to help her fight off the transformation physically, while mentally she would read book after book, to keep her mind from going insane. When word got out they had started sparring against each other, that's when a lot of the staff and visitors to the castle, would slip in to watch the two.

Today was the exactly one week from when Lucy learned of her transformation. In two days it would mark three weeks she had been in this realm. Even with hope dwindling a little each day, the blond refused to give up on her friends. Taking a swig of water, she toweled off, before adjusting her collar. Here, in the gym, was the only time she was allowed to wear pants. Her blue pants and pink high collared shirt, gave her range of movement, at the same time showing off her assets. Without hesitation she grabbed a Kusarigama from the weapons' rack. She tested it, adjusting her hold to handle the weighted end getting a grip on the Kama sickle.

"Are you ready to get your butt handed to you _Prince Kentaru?"_ she teased him. "Your katana has a good reach and the blade's sharp. Still, I have a slight advantage."

Kentaru laughed, pulling his blade out of its sheath. The blade caught the light, bouncing the candlelight around the room. From the stands he could hear humanoid monsters making bets against some of the more bestial creatures. He didn't need to look to know his parents sat in the audience to witness his victory. Taro was there too, no doubt hoping he ruin this chance at bonding with the princess.

"Trust me Lucy-chan, I'm going to win this fight. Ready?" He slipped into his battle stance as she got ready to. Daichi told them to begin. In a flash they were after one another. Lucy made the first move, whipping the weight above her head before hurling it at Kentaru's. The prince dodged to the right then left as the weight was pulled back to Lucy. His blade flashed as he shaved a piece of her weight down.

Holding on to the weighted end Lucy started to move around. She jump and dodge about. Her lighter, flexible body gave her the speed to avoid the strikes from the katana. Twisting her feet, she jumped in the air over Kentaru's blade. She kicked out nailing him in the back. He started to topple over, using his sword to dig into the ground and flick dirt in her eyes. Blinded, Lucy stumbled back.

As she attempted to regain her senses, she felt the transformation flaring up. Her head was really itchy. Something was trying to push through her scalp. Her fingernails sent sharp pain to her senses. Her body was stretching. She was unaware the match had stopped as everyone witnessed the transformation taking over.

Kentaru had sheathed his blade. Clearly his treasure was in pain as the transformation process was stuck. For a few seconds, you could see her sprouting something on her head and her color changing. Next she was back to human. As he got closer he saw her magic trying to get out. She tossed around her weapons lashing out in pain. He ducked under the weight, before catching the Kama and using it to slice the chain destroying the weapon in the process.

He wrapped his arms around Lucy, whispering in her ear to stop fighting it. She could kill herself like this. The blond shook her head, refusing to submit. She wasn't going to let the transformation win. She started praying for her Celestial Spirit Parents, begging them to help her. To his astonishment, her magic level doubled, nearly breaking the seal. The transformation started to reverse itself. Without thinking, he bit her shoulder mixing his saliva with her blood.

The reaction was instantaneous. Both of them let out a pulse of magical energy that spread out across the Realm. The magic created an earthquake on Earthland as the aftershocks were felt in the Celestial Spirit World. Back in the gymnasium medics rushed to help the young fallen royals who had passed out.

* * *

Up on the surface the Fairy Tail mages nearly lost their grip on the enchanted chain. Erza held on tight, refusing to let go. As they were bounced around Carla's eyes went wide. Her premonition power was working, the boost of magic helping her pierce through the veil.

_Lucy stood in front of an alter wearing a heavy red cloak. Next to her was a handsome young man (Kentaru). In his hand he was holding a lock of some kind. Lucy pulled out Loki's key, ready to place it in the lock. Something was different about her hands, but she couldn't tell. _

_ The vision changed and she saw Lucy, in her Star Maiden form at the Fiore Royal Palace. She addressing a crowd of Celestial Spirit mages. Hoshi was at her side smiling. _

Carla came out of her vision. Swiftly she told everyone what she saw. They were confused by what it meant. Looking at the stars Hoshi had an idea. A critical juncture in their quest was getting nearer. The decisions made by, both them and Lucy, would decide their fate.


	7. Screaming in the Night

In the Celestial Spirit World, everyone was growing restless. Since the gates were largely closed, many spirits grew greatly concerned about their owners. They knew their girls were strong and capable, but most hadn't yet figured out how to channel their magic in the way castors did. Those with high level telepathic link to their owners, started asking them to be there eyes on the ground.

While waiting for news from Earthland, Lucy's spirits had gathered in her rooms in the palace. Her presence still lingered here. Aries was about to break the ice, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. Clutching her chest, she noticed everyone was doing the same thing. It was a long time since they felt this pain, still they knew what it meant.

"We can't be losing Lucy! I can't deal with losing another comrade!" Aries cried. Her wool started to shed at an alarming rate. She was bawing at an alarming rate.

"Not again, I never wanted to feel this pain ever again," moaned Lyra, dropping her lyre. She started humming the same tune over and over again, trying to make the pain stop. Her humming grew more of key as time passed

"We should be there with her. _I _should be there preventing those beasts from twisting her. Is this part of their strategy, to break our hearts so we don't have the will to fight?" Jai whispered, banging her hoofs on the ground. She reared up in fright neighing loudly.

Ardtree and Beteniforven watched them curiously. As new star spirits, they had only begun to form two thousand years ago. Just having been named, with a key and owner, they didn't understand what was happening with the older spirits. Ardtree, cautiously approached Capricorn. "Wise One? Forgive me if this is indelicate, but we wish to know what is happening. Why do you cry and feel the strange pain greater than Beteniforven or I?"

Capricorn sat down on a seat and offered the two bronze keys spirits a seat. The others had also calmed down each finding a place to rest. A strange calmness had settled over the spirits. "Little ones, the pain you feel in your hearts, is from the bond you have, whether with owner or fellow Celestial Spirit, starts to break up. The torment, the emotions inside you twist and stretch, before they break completely. During the First War, this pain was caused by our enemies."

The cursive number tilted his head. He was confused, having only recently learned about the history between the two groups, he couldn't recall anything about monsters breaking bonds. "I'm still confused, what did the enemy do that caused this pain?"

"They corrupted our friends, twisting them forcing them to become the enemy," Loki stated bluntly. Tears were starting to form in his eyes as he removed his glasses. "Once our kind numbered in the billions, now only a few thousands remain. I remember the first time I witnessed this."

* * *

_Flashback_

_Loki and his partners, Ahau Kin the Jaguar, and Itzpapalotl the Butterfly, were on a search and rescue mission. Ahau Kin's owner had pleaded for help. A small group of girls, that hadn't even started training, had been captured by Lock mages The men would either kill them or give them to monsters to gain more power. The goal of the mission was to save the girls from the mages. They had little time to carry out the mission successfully.  
_

_Tracking the evil mages was easy finding them halfway up a mountain. They soon found the girls, they were trapped in a small cave, two lock mages out front and one in the cave. Butterfly shrank, flapping her way across the division and landed on a single flower near the men. She listened carefully. The leader, a fat man with a bushy beard, was speaking to his subordinates. _

"_Prepare the hostages for our friends Shiro. Hiro, search for any signs of Celestial Spirits. If we can take them out, along with the girls, then we'll be richly rewarded." _

"_No problem Sir. I do my best to spot those pests!" As he started to leave Butterfly returned to her friends. "There are ten girls tied together. I saw a short man with some weapons guarding them. I didn't sense magic from him, but there was a very bad smell. I think there's a monster inside." _

"_Good job my lovely Butterfly. We need to strike hard and fast. Leo, you will take out the humans. Crush their magical talismans, without them, they can't keep their pacts," Jaguar grinned, flashing his teeth. He enjoyed letting the men be killed by the monsters they controlled. Ignoring his friends distasteful looks, he told Butterfly to get the girls out. He would take out the monster. _

"_Shouldn't we observe them more? We don't know what monster is in there or what they're preparing those girls for," Leo hissed, only to be whacked with Jaguar's tail. "You worry too much Lion. You're an animal so embrace it. After this mission you'll drop the human attachment to your name, understood." _

_Leo muttered something under his breath, but nodded. They all circled about getting into place. No one seemed to notice the silver and tan spotted jaguar climbing up the rock face before jumping to hide behind a bush. A tiny little butterfly entered the cave as Leo took a few breaths to steady himself. This was war, the usual rules didn't apply. Without hesitation, he leaped from his ledge pouncing the patrolling Hiro, striking the man in the temple with his Regulus magic. The soldier, bleeding heavily from his head, stabbed blindly digging his knife into Leo abdomen. Ignoring the pain, Leo grabbed for the belt, pawing to get the lock. Hiro pushed him off and grabbed his lock. "Lock Magic: Cliff-Ogre Rampage!" A huge red cage appeared in the air containing a massive wrinkly brown Cliff Ogre roaring in pleasure. "You'll be a fine snack indeed, once I push you off this cliff!" _

_Leo didn't know how to react when the creature's abilities surged out of the cage shoving him so hard he nearly fell of the cliff. Regaining his balance, he jumped over the projection only to find his leg caught in the grip. He fought hard using his magic to fight back, eventually overwhelming the monster and human, leaving them unconscious on the ground. Suddenly, he heart the angry loud growl followed by a shriek. "Ahau Kin! Itzpapalotl! I'm coming!" _

_Ten minutes later, Leo was inside the cave, stopping in his tracks at the sight before him. Jaguar was bloody all over, his tail missing along with; his right ear and left front paw. Two Ciudach, cannibalistic 15 foot tall giants weighing about 4 oxen, had him cornered. Both were still chewing on a girl, only four remained alive. The leader and his remaining soldier lay dead further in, round holes in their chest. Looking at Butterfly, her antennas were covered in blood and she was missing a wing. _

"_Leo! Help, I get the girls out of here now!" Leo ran to help her, using his magic with her magic scales fluttering in the air to cover them. He picked up two girl. He wanted to get them to safety quickly, but one of the Ciudach took a swipe at them. One girl wiggled out of his grip running towards Butterfly, feeling safer with female. Butterfly created a barrier trying to keep the group from being squashed or eaten. "Get out of here now! I can't hold this much longer." _

"_I won't leave you behind Itzapapalotl! I refuse to abandon you and the girls. We can still complete this mission together!" He had gotten a better grip on the girl. Through the pounding on the bright colored scales barrier he saw his friend Jaguar stumble. His fellow cat friend tried to get up, but couldn't. With a look of acceptance, both Spirits watched in horror as he was about to be eaten. _

_ "Goodbye my friends. Remember me fondly, Butterfly, Itzapapalot I love y…" That was the last thing he said before his friend was eaten alive. The barrier broke as the giants came after them, spitting saliva and blood at them. Butterfly saw something coming towards Leo and his girl. "NO!" With a blast of air from her remaining wing she blew the two out of the cave. _

_ The saliva and blood hit her and the other three girls. Everyone screamed as their bodies started to twist and change. The trio of girls attacked each other before the transformation finished. "Block us in forever Leo! It's the, ugh ahh, onnnnnnlly way ah!" Butterfly screamed as the transformation worked rapidly on her. In seconds she would be a cannibalistic giant too. With a heavy heart he blasted the ledge above covering the cave entrance forever. _

_ A mission ending with so many deaths and costing them two spirits made him break down and cry. "I failed, I failed my friends. How can I return home?" Suddenly the chubby arms of the eight year old girl he saved comforted him. "I'm sorry for your loss Mr. Leo. I still want to thank you for saving my life. My name is Lori and I promise I'll be your friend forever," the girl whispered pressing her blond hair head into his chest._

_ Flashback ends. _

* * *

Both new star spirits had shocked expressions on their faces. They couldn't believe that story. Yue spoke of their "thirteenth" member Shu Cat. She had given her life in order to keep the Animal Zodiac alive. Several silver keys mentioned friends who had been turned or killed themselves once insanity set in. The two little spirits asked if there was any way to help Lucy if she was turning.

"The stardust we gave the team is the only known cure. It saved a few lives, but only if it was given in timely manner and the spirit/person hadn't lost their mind or accepted their new nature. We can only hope our princess can last a bit longer," Virgo whispered as silence once again filled the room.

* * *

The King and Queen had taken refuge in their own chambers. Being in the throne room, had become very overwhelming as they listened to everything that was going on. Their agony was the greatest, for they missed their daughter greatly. Never before, not even when the first Star Maiden Danica, opened the pathways between the two worlds had they cared about a human so much.

When the universe was first created, the force of time and space became so great, it took the form of the King and Queen, who had created this world. Combining their powers together, with the cosmic energy of the universe, the stars responded in kind creating forms to represent themselves, thus the birth of the Celestial Spirits. Soon the night sky gave birth to the Animal Zodiac, and as the power spread out across the celestial sky new stars appeared filling the Celestial with new star spirits. For a time all had been happy, their joy only growing as the bonded girls interacted lending strength and power, forming the contracts and creating keys.

Even when they were at war with their enemies, then themselves, the bond between owner and spirits remained strong. Throughout it all, the love between the King and Queen, never died. They had wished for eons to have a child of their own, one of their own blood, they could raise and care for. A daughter, who was as beautiful as starlight, strong, both physically and mentally. A friend to all who had boundless love for everyone. No matter how hard they tried, no child was born and while the Star Maidens were special, none had the spark that would make them one with the Celestial Spirits.

That is until Lucy came into the world. The distant descendent of Lori, the girl Loki had saved that fateful day, had inherited all the magic from her ancient bloodline. Her mother Layla, the last Star Maiden of Old, had given everything to protect both her daughter and the Spirits. The moment when Lucy was crowned and her blood bond with theirs, had a true child of the stars had been created.

The King paced, before looking at the bed where his wife sat. She was holding a picture taken on the Day of Rejoining, as it had been called. They had stood tall placing their giant hands on her small shoulder. She was smiling, the tilt of her head showing the love in her eyes for both of them. A single tear drop landed on the picture as the Queen attempted to keep her sorrow from showing.

"It's okay to cry my beloved. I too am worried for our daughter's safety," the King said holding her in his arms. "Our child is strong. If she can face the demons of Tartarus, while summoning both of us, then I have to believe she can handle whatever the beasts and monsters have in mind."

"You forget once more, my love. Her magic is sealed and the longer she remains in the clutches, the harder it will be to free her. Did you not feel that agony in your heart? They're trying to change her!" The Queen was very upset. She was picturing in her mind all the horrible forms that her daughter could be changed into. Siren, Kulshedra, or even a Picacu, each image was worse then the last one.

"She has been through so much in her short life, how can fate keep pitting her against insurmountable trials. She could die, die you understand? With no way to be reincarnated as a full-fledged Celestial Spirit!"

"It won't help anyone, especially us, if we keep thinking the worst. Lucy has handled every trial and challenge before her. Even without our keys or her magic, I have faith in her human with and instincts to free herself. With her friends searching, I know that she'll be safe."

"Promise me, if we don't get any positive news or the Fairy Tail team can't find in the next few hours, you'll prepare us for war." The King promised hoping that it wouldn't come to that. He wasn't sure if their kind could survive another war with their fated foes.

* * *

In the Endless Realm of Monsters, King Mortain and Queen Brighantia sat listening to reports from their soldiers who had been deployed for the attack on the Earthland. They had chosen to start their attack on Fiore, a land with plenty of magic and a dozen guilds to drain of their magic. Both royals couldn't wait to see the shocked expressions on Lucy's former guild-mates faces, when she utterly destroyed them.

"Continue you survey of the country Sergeant Hokhoka, we need to isolate the greatest threats and neutralize them before they become problematic. Don't fail me Sergeant. You wouldn't want to faith my wraith," King Mortain stated flexing his cat claws before snapping them into action nearly scratching the surface of the lacremeia screen. The Hokhoka jumped back cawing, promising to perform his duty to the fullest.

"See that you do," he said before dismissing the image. He looked up at his queen, (he was a dwarf after all!), and "The war preparations are moving smoothly. Proclamations have been sent out all over the realm. Each tribe is ready to answer the call to duty. Soon those," he paused in mid sentence. His beautiful wife was tugging at her beautiful locks, even pulling out a strand of blue hair.

"Darling, please don't do that, you know it damages your hair," Mortain placed his hands on hers. He started to tap out a beat with his goat hooves, but she didn't respond, which was unusual. He noticed that her appearance didn't look healthy. "Brighantia? What's the matter?"

"There are plenty of things that are on my mind, especially concerning those of us who depend on humans for our lives. You know, that I can't harm a child, especially if one needs help crossing my rivers," she pointed out. Her wings fluttered up as she continued to voice her concerns. "The hunting party is way over due, what if something happen to them? Our people could starve before the war begins. Have you even been to see our son yet? He's slowly regaining consciousness and we should be there when he's fully awake!" She was completely unaware that she slowly shifting her bottom half.

Mortain touched her, using his treasure magic to alert her to her shifting. The dazzling gleam caught her attention as she looked down. Brighantia got her shifting under control returning to normal. She seemed ashamed. She was an elder in her kind's eye. Losing control was not appropriate for someone of her status and age. "I've never lost control, I'm the Queen, and it's my responsibility to set an example for all citizens in the realm."

"I think in this case we can forgive your actions. It's been more than a millennium. We've grown in both strength and power. By cooperating together the tribes have formed a bond that will shatter our enemies," Mortain said, clicking his nails to show images across the realm on the lacremeia screen.

The last one focused on the two teens in the infirmary being monitored. Kentaru was sleeping. He showed signs of waking up only to fall back asleep. His left hand cradled Lucy's right. The transformation process had taken hold on her left side slowly changing her. She seemed much calmer and a small smile was on her face as her hand squeezed tightly against Kentaru's. "Our son is fine my love. He only sleeps to further bond with the girl. Look at her face, what do you see?"

"Peace, acceptance, and perhaps even longing. It is a hopeful sight. When she awakens from the near death experience, she'll rely on Kentaru to help her through this. You're right beloved, nothing will stand in our way once the war begins."

* * *

In another part of the castle, in Taro's private chambers, the adviser was hard at work. He had largely been left in control of the day to day business, while also assisting with planning the defenses for the other towns and cities in the area. Finishing up the paperwork he handed the details to a trusted soldier. "These plans are to be implanted as you've finished the delivery. Take a Hippogriff mount, they fly the fastest. Once you're done report back to Captain Gintarus for further instructions." The soldier saluted leaving post haste.

Taro had returned to his desk, once again muttering under his breath. "That stupid prophecy is ruining us. If we did things my way, the girl would already be dead, and we use her magic, to slaughter each and every one of those Celestial do-gooders, but no, we have to rely on a so called Prince and a stupid girl. I should have ate that boy the minute he came here without morning his death. Humans are so…"

"So what Taro bawk? Your kind is basically a human wearing a lion's mask," Corvusina pointed out mockingly. She had entered his chambers silently and now was fingering his collection of rare books. Pulling back her hood she gave him the deadly raven stare, the one that meant for seeing into someone's soul. She flicked a hand through her feathery hair. "I myself am a combination of human and raven, common among us bird people. In my visions, people love to dress up in costumes, which portray our kinds. Isn't a little worship fun?"

"_Bnedmin huma fools, li xjentement mock us. Aħna jistgħu jaqsmu nofs korpi tagħna magħhom, iżda li ma jagħmilx us wieħed minnhom. Aħna monsters, jagħmilna l-benesseri superjuri.__" _ Taro sneered at her. Knowing every language in the world did have some benefits, like making Corvusina appear as a fool.

She waved a wing dismissively. "You think I'm the fool, just because you can speak Maltese? I know plenty of languages including; _Esperanto, unu el la plej grandaj lingvoj de magio. Nun sufiĉe de via fiereco, mi venis al vi por peti konsilon, pli grave, komplezon. Do aŭskultu atente bonvolu, ĉar mi ne ripetos ĉi."_

"You, the greatest Seeress we've ever had, has humbled herself to ask me for advice. Along with a favor? Oh, I'm going to savor this moment forever. I can blackmail you anytime from now on," Taro said rubbing his hands together in delight. He was all ears waiting to hear what she had to say.

The bird girl ignored him, already regretting this, but she had no choice. The King and Queen mustn't learn what she had kept from them. She took a seat across from the desk, squirming a bit as she tried to get comfortable. Finding a comfy spot, she opened up to him. "As you know, many of my kind have the ability to foresee the future, or at least one of many paths to come."

Taro nodded, he already knew that which is why he never trusted visions. There was no guarantee that they would come true. He half listened to the raven as she talked about her woes, thinking of how he could use this against her in front of the King and Queen, when she said something that caught his ears. "Wait go back a second. What did you just say about ensuring a prophecy comes true?"

Corvusina rolled her eyes, she didn't want to repeat herself. She had half a mind to nip him with her beak. Fluffing her feathers she repeated the last line. "As I was saying _Wise One_; most seeress, will create a block to keep other precognitive from interfering with their business. I knew from the videos that one of the Exceeds had visions of the future. Up until the moment, when His Highness and the Princess magic's combined, I had managed to keep the cat from seeing anything."

Taro narrowed his eyes as his mane went stiff. Growling he demanded to know if the Exceed had been able to see what was going on and how to prevent the war from happening.

"NO! She got a tiny glimpse and I was aware of the possibility of it happening. What the King and Queen do not know is that I have two visions at a time. One of favorable prophecy and a vision of how it could fall apart. I'm always cautious to prevent the second event from passing."

Continuing on she spoke of a vision with arch types. She saw a warrior, a hero, with a flaming dragon, accompanied by an angel and two cherubs. Suddenly a priestess would appear. The priestess would pray out loud calling for aid. A golden shaft of life would enveloped her. The Priestess blessed the others, who would tear through an army of monsters, defeat the royals and transform the Princess back to human.

"Those archetypes represent the members of her team! You knew they would come to rescue the girl, how could you not have taken proper precautions?" Taro demanded slamming his hand on the desk. She snapped back she had done her best and figured the group would never find a weak spot in the seal that would last long enough for them to get in.

Knowing he had to fix this snafu, the lion headed man advised her to prepare magical items that would neutralize the team's powers. He would assign extra patrols and guards around all known weak spots in order to capture the mages. He may not believe in prophecies, but he would eat his own head before mages got the better of him.

* * *

In the infirmary, Prince Kentaru's magical aura, surrounded his body. He wavered between unconscious and conscious as he held tightly to his girlfriend's hand. Their magic kept mixing with one another, sharing parts of themselves they kept hidden. The longer they remained in this stasis, the bond between them grew stronger.

In his mindscape, Kentaru was laughing happily. He was a little boy, around eight years old, running around the Heartfillia mansion. Hearing giggling, he spotted a mess of blond hair hiding behind a suit of armor. "Found you! I'm going to get you!"

Lucy flittered away calling out, "You'll never catch me Kentaru Lucretius! I'll always be one step ahead of you," she teased. She raced down the hall, opened a door closing it behind her. With a challenging grin on his face, he followed her through the door. Instead of finding Lucy, he found himself back in his old bedroom at Ironwood Manor. He felt blow to the back of his head as he stumbled to the floor.

"What have I told you about using that cursed talent of yours? You shame the family, no, the entire human race, by using this monstrosity," Lord Edmund bellowed before kicking his son in the back. A rage built up inside Kentaru. He pushed himself up and threw a punch at his father, the man caught the little boy's hand before bending it backwards. "Don't you _dare_ strike at me young man!"

Kentaru bit his lips to prevent him from bellowing back. Looking around his old bedroom, the familiar feelings of helplessness and loneliness filled him. All his books on magic had been tore apart. Items that used magic, such as old fashion music machine lay broken. The light pen he used to write in his journal was snapped in half.

"You know the consequences of using your curse, five hours of training in the gym with only three ten minute breaks. I'm also assigning you two more books on case law. You will be something worthy of your name!" His father grabbed him roughly by his arm and dragged him to the gym on the lower level in the west wing. Kentaru struggled, he hated working out in the gym here. He wasn't allowed to do the sports and exercises he was good at.

His trainer, old man Shu stood there looking especially delighted. Great, that meant hours of running laps, gymnastics, along with gentlemen sports, like polo, wrestling, and archery. His father didn't want him touching swords, fearing that a magical blade would make its way into the group. He was banned from anything that could be magically enhanced.

His nightmare never seemed to end. Reliving the torture of training, the brutal lessons and lack of rest. Every suggestion of something he was good at was shot down. By time his training was done, he wasn't allowed even to take a quick shower before being locked in the library to study law with his tutor. Only well behaved "non-spells" got proper breaks and showers. He hated this. "I'm a Prince, not a worthless child forcing to be both athlete and lawyer. I deserve respect and prestige," he muttered as he was finally released. It was half an hour before dinner and he needed to get cleaned. He'd forgotten one thing though, his siblings.

Someone tripped him up as he went sprawling on to the carpet. He reached to gather his books and enter his room when someone snatched his homework holding it up high. It was his eldest brother, Corentin (age 17). "Let's see what Father assigned the freak today. _The Entire Case Law of Bosco_, oh and _10,000,000 Tips to Become a Great Lawyer. _The day you successfully complete law school and start helping the family company, is the day I ruin us."

"I don't know why Mother suggested to Father, that you could th accomplish anything related to the scholarly arts. She's already got me after all," Jodic, (age 15) laughed at his brother. He took a sniff before fanning his nose. "You stink worse than a skunk. Haven't you heard of personal hygiene?"

"He probably likes smelling a servant. You're constantly hanging out with them. If I were you, you should stick to the gym. At least as an athlete, I can fix you up, after you fail of course," Padrig, (age 13), snorted. "Can you imagine him, competing in polo or worse, hitting himself with an arrow? That would be quite a scene."

"Dear Kentaru, you know that Mother and Father would be so hard on you, if you just stopped trying to use magic right? It's unnatural and ruins humanity. The ten percent that can use it are lonely freaks. Why trust a guild of course dimwits when a normal human can accomplish so much on their own? For instance, can a magic person truly appreciate the hours that go in while preparing a perfect concerto for a clarinet?" Rozen, (11), told him. The dinner bell rang as the four perfect siblings hurried to dinner.

The scene quickly changed and he found himself being berated at dinner by his mother. His manners, posture, everything was perfect, but it wasn't enough for her. A freak like him didn't deserve to sit at her perfectly. Rage grew stronger inside of him. At last it was too much, as he pushed away from the table he grew into adult form. His aura scared everyone.

"Enough! You thought I was a monster, that's what I became. In truth, you were the monsters and I will gladly slaughter you all again!" Reaching to his side tugged a light green and blue lock. Lock Magic: Melusine Curse!" Melusine appeared in her cage. Her beautiful human top, along with the cursed snake body her mother had given her, just for killing the King and husband who broke his word and tried to kill his daughters.

Melusine swished her tail and sang a song. The scales cursed his family turning them into tiny snakes before screaming killed them. The mindscape changed to his rooms in the manor. Taking calming breaths Kentaru started meditate. Never again would his past haunt him!

* * *

In her own mind Lucy was lost. Everything around her was pitch black save for the small light around her. Screams of consternation filled the air. Her eyes darted about. "Hello, is anyone there? Help me please!" She picked a random direction and walked fast hoping to find a way out of the darkness.

There was no end to the darkness. Each way she turned left her even more confused. She held back her tears. "I will not panic. I will not cry. I will find a way out of here. I just need to stay calm." Closing her eyes, Lucy focused inside. Remembering what she had learned recently. She pushed out all distractions, using only her instincts to guide her. She touched her core commanding the magic to flow through her body. For some reason it only flowed through her right side, but that was fine.

Her light glowed as door formed in front of her. Twisting the nob she entered and found herself in her father's former office. "Why am I here? I wanted to find a safe place, this wasn't a safe place."

"It wasn't a safe place, but you've conquered your fear. That is why you retreated to here," a familiar voice said behind. Shocked she turned around and to her great surprise both her father and mother sat on an expense chaise lounge. "MOM! DAD!" she said, as she cried tears of joy. She reached out to hug them, but her hands went right through them. Looking at her hands she remembered, you can't touch spirits. "You're not really here, you just exist only in my mind."

"We are here Lucy, only between the world of the waking and the sleeping can spirits manifest in dreams," Jude explained. He looked at his daughter's his eyes drifting to her left. His daughter followed his gaze, but her left side was hidden from her. She placed two fingers on her arms trying to feel what was different. All she felt was skin and a few stripes.

"Am I a monster? Did I fail to fight the transformation off?"

Jude shook his head. He explained that the transformation was still happening and at the moment it had stopped once more. For now, she was only half changed. It was up to her to decide if she would allow the transformation or cure herself. When his daughter replied that this is what she had been doing and it wasn't working, he stated that it wasn't just a matter of her will, but also her heart.

Lucy looked at him puzzled. Her heart was part of the problem? How was that possible? Hadn't they sealed her heart along with her magic? She looked at her mother, surely she could explain what he meant. At this moment she would have given anything to touch her again.

Layla looked at her with a small smile. "Oh my dear daughter, the matters of the heart and mind are always intertwined. As much as you desire freedom; a part of you desires this life." She held up a hand to stop Lucy from protesting. Her daughter's flabbergasted face made her giggle. "There are many parts of our personality, some that we share with everyone and others we hide. There's no dark side per say, but there are traits we share only with certain people."

"Kentaru," Lucy whispered. As much as she had been trying to deny it, she was drawn to him in a way that was entirely different then the love she felt for Natsu and Loki/Leo. The Prince and she had many similarities. He challenged her in ways no one else did. She took great pleasure in trying to get a rise out of him. Even now, she felt his soul interacting with hers. It was both a wonderful and strange sensation.

"Don't cry Lucy," her mother pleaded. "You haven't betrayed anyone by embracing your feelings. No matter what, this part of you, would have been, revealed sooner or later. The only thing to do is follow this path to the end. Either, the experience makes you stronger, or you chose to make this who you want to be."

Lucy sank to her knees holding herself. She felt so much fear and her hope was dwindling. "I'm lost and confused. I have no idea how to move forward. How to I decide what to do?" Her parents didn't have the answers for her. All they said is that their time was nearly up. Before they left they sang a song that would guide their daughter. (Simple Gifts, a Shaker Dance Song).

_'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free _

_'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,_

_And when we find ourselves in the place just right, _

_'Twill be in the valley of love and delight._

_When true simplicity is gained, _

_To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,_

_To turn, turn will be our delight, _

_Till by turning, turning we come 'round right"_

Knowing the song was special, Lucy tucked it away deep in her heart. Soon she would be waking up and seeing her transformed state. Whatever happened, she wouldn't forget the wisdom her parents shared with her.


	8. Inner Monster

Every Celestial Spirit had gathered in the throne room, waiting for the appearance of their leaders. They were all nervous, the time difference between the three worlds meant more time had passed, for the Endless Realm of Monsters, and with Team Natsu only just arriving in the area where the seal was weak, caused great pain for the Celestial Spirits knowing Lucy had been suffering for a great deal of time. Not even a full day had passed in their world but as hours and minutes ticked by it meant their princess was slipping further and further away.

Suddenly all activity stopped. The scrolls stopped appearing, the maps went blank, and anyone that had telepathic contact with their owners ceased. The doors to the throne room burst open as they all bowed down. The King and Queen slowly marched their thrones. Upon taking their seats the King raised his sword allowing them to stand.

"My old friends, today has been exceptionally long for all of us. As we remain safe in our realm, our human friends and mages are risking their lives, on our behalf, to rescue one of our own. My friends, Lucy Heartfillia is more than just a Celestial Spirit Mage or a Star Maiden. She is our princess because of her unconditional love and selflessness. Our princess has always tried to do the right thing. Her heart is so big that forgiving others, while very difficult, has forgiven those who have heart her badly. Her mercy is a shining example for all of us," the King preached. He leaned on his longsword, his giant mustache no longer standing up. He looked exhausted and for the first time all the Spirits could see how the situation had pushed him to his limits.

Seeing the pain her husband was in, his wife placed a comforting hand on his. He looked at her, his eyes conveying a message. She didn't want to say the next proclamation. Adjusting her tiara she let an invisible wind blow her white locks behind her. Standing tall, she spoke to everyone. "My people, throughout our existence we have tried to avoid war. The two times we fought, disaster struck both us and our human friends. I can sense from all of you that the pains and memories of the past are haunting you."

Her words had the effect she feared it would. The Animal Zodiac clustered together, their own petty little fights forgotten. All of them cried for the loss of their thirteenth member. The Constellations looked at parts of their bodies that had once been scared as the new stars could remember the horribleness of the divide. The Zodiacs looked at the floor thinking of their previous owners throughout time.

The Queen looked at her subjects. She hesitated, not wanting to inform the others of what was to happen next. Just then the King stood up to stand by her side. They had to present a united front. What they had to say next was difficult, but it had to be done.

"My old friends, I have lead you well since time began. I have always tried to do the right thing as most of you know. I have stayed true to my laws, only to make an exception when one was needed. Your Queen has protected our home with her vast magic. She was there to help all of you when you needed comfort the most. Though its pains us greatly, we have no choice. Our enemies have forced their hand taunting us. What they have done this time is inexcusable. They have taken the one we love the most, they will use her to destroy everything we cherish. This can't be allowed to go any further. I declare that we will go to war once more! For the sake of our Princess and all human kind!"

There were gasps from the spirits. Fear and worry met with courage and hope. Once again rules would be suspended and they would face death. Much would be lost. Their own world could end up destroyed. Yet none of that matter. There was no turning back, if both Earthland and the Celestial Spirit World had a chance to survive, they would have to take the fight to their enemies.

* * *

The Queen took charge. She asked the spirits who were more mechanical and a few ones with knowledge to start crafting weapons and armor for their friends. Cassiopeia and Andromeda took charge of the project, already used to weapons. "No, the metal must be thicker, but remember to temper it so it's flexible. Our friends need to be able to move. Like this!" Andromeda stated. She flung her chains out capturing Caelum. The laser fired at her, which she blocked with chains by wrapping them tightly around her. She then quickly moved and kicked Caelum hard knocking him over.

"I apologize for my daughter, she can get a little too enthusiastic at times," Cassiopeia spoke softly. She helped get the Chisel back up. "Daughter, we are going to war. It is not advisable to take out one of our own before the battle." At least Andromeda blushed. She was embarrassed by her actions.

Another group was talking about defense and how to keep the wounded safe until they regained the energy to fight again. "According to what we know, these are the most likely points of entry. The medical unit should be set up here," Jai said, she was in her human form. Her finger tapped the picture of a guild. Quarto Cerberus, to be exact. "While they may have placed seventh in the Grand Magic Games, they still have powerful mages that could help us defend the injured."

"Do you think that we can convince them to let us? I know that the Guilds have united with us on this particular crises, but are we asking too much? Their home could be destroyed," Lyra pointed out. She along with a many new star spirits would be assigned to the medical unit.

"The Guildmaster Goldmine is an old friend of Markov. If the old man could convince his old friend to search Fiore for our Princess and track monsters, then there's a good chance he'll let us use the guild."

In another part of the castle, several spirits, many of them animals, had gathered together to go over their plans on confronting the enemy and surviving. "We need to be able to fight on land, in the water, and up in the sky. Pegasus, Aquileia, you'll be the forerunners in the sky," Mushu instructed as he looked at everyone's stats. Other flyers offered up their services. Tong and Vulcipina said they would cover the front of the land troops. The water would have to be carried out by the two Zodiacs who were at home in the water.

Speaking of Zodiacs each of them was in the process of undoing certain seals on each other. After the Civil War, all of them had agreed to use a seal limit to prevent them for using their full powers. At full power they were capable of immeasurable destruction. They only time they agreed to undo the seals was if both the King and Queen ordered them to.

"Do you regret this Leo?" Aries asked as her friend tapped her back, making her seal appear. Slowly he started the ritual of undoing the seal. "I'm frightened, I barely even remember being at full power."

"I'm not happy about this myself. We don't have a choice. We must obey our leaders," Loki/Leo said unhappily. His heart was heavy. He didn't think he could survive another war, even if it was for Lucy sake.

* * *

In the Endless Realm of Monsters, it was the start of Lucy's fourth week of being in the realm. She was awake and had made her way up to the observation tower. In her arms was Onyx, who purred up a storm, happy to see her owner again. Standing on the balcony she gazed upon the entire city. Taking a deep breath she stood there, feeling the energy of the capital.

The energy in the air felt very much alive. All around the city there was a slight undertone of intensity, possibly hatred or anger, yet the feeling of fellowship among the tribes bound them together just like a family, a guild. With that in mind she stretched her senses all around her.

The bunyips howled over in the food distract, discussing prices for food. The perfume scent of Glaistiqs watching their children play in the rivers. Seeing the Rukis' getting cleaned up by handlers. She could taste in the air some of the servants moving through the castle and scratched her cat. None the creatures living in this city, the entire realm would be liked on Earthland. Unless they were locked up and controlled. Logically, she knew that many of the tribes had an appetite for humans and others liked to trick them. How many monsters trapped here with her had done nothing with hurting humans.

"Onyx, I feel kinship with these people, isn't that weird?" she asked looking down at her cat. Onyx purred contently. Her ears pricked up as her owner rocked her back and forth. Lucy turned from the balcony, heading to her rooms with her handmaidens following her. They kept jabbering talking about making some alterations to her clothing.

Entering her rooms, she calmly asked if Kiki and Mona would do their work in another room. Nodding they headed to the small sewing room to the side. Lucy tried to sit comfortably in a chair with some difficulty. When she couldn't do that she flopped on her bed rolling onto her stomach. Her back hurt so badly. "I wish Kentaru was here."

There was a knock on her bedroom door frame. Sitting up and turning around she smiled when she saw him. Nori was already playing with Onyx on the floor. Both pet owners smiled at their pets actions. "I heard you calling for me. I hope I'm not disturbing you."

She shook her head no, he wasn't. Pushing herself of the bed, she lost her balance following on the carpet. "Ow, that hurt. Did you have this much trouble with your transformation?" she asked, gesturing to her left side. Her right side was completely human and normal. The opposite was true on her left for it had become solid monster.

Her skin had darkened slightly making the stripes more pronounced now. Her left hand fingers now sported bright red twig like nails. Her hair was changing, getting longer and changing to a dark blond. Her left eye was surrounded by kohl like skin. The bumps on her back were getting bigger and small ones had started to show on her head.

Kentaru picked her up loving it as she leaned into him. His heart was fluttering as he felt Lucy's love flowing through him. With their auras bonded, it was easy now to understand each other's feelings and love. "My transformation was painful at first, then the doctors gave me some homemade pain meds to help me through it. I could ask for some."

"I don't want to be a burden to you," she started to say before he pressed his fingers against her lips. The Prince told her that he loved caring for her. It was nice to have someone appreciate his efforts. He looked away for a second, remembering his experience.

"Don't think about your old family. They didn't deserve you. You belong here. The citizens of the realm need you to be a strong leader, one they can depend on, just like I need you." Looking into his eyes she pressed her lips against his, catching him off guard. Then he returned the kiss. At that moment love was all that mattered. Lucy was giving in to Kentaru, accepting her fate.

* * *

At the exact moment Lucy kissed Kentaru, Natsu fell over clutching his chest. He started roaring loudly as his heart felt like it was breaking. Seeing him in trouble Hoshi knelt next to him trying to help, but he pushed her away. Wendy slid next to him assessing him, but couldn't find anything wrong. The others turned their attention from trying to find an entrance into the Realm to see what was wrong. They had released the dogs earlier, having Hoshi cast a Moon Spell, to help follow them without getting attacked, once the enchanted leash had vanished.

"Natsu, I order you to tell me what the matter is right now!" Erza demanded shaking him hard. That brought out his motion sickness and he ended up barfing on her armor. Erza shrieked, she was suddenly acting out of character. She kept going "gross, gross, gross!" trying to get it off her precious armor. Carla pulled out a handkerchief from who knows were and gave it to her to clean up.

"I wouldn't want to be you Natsu right now. Erza's going to break you into pieces, once she's done freaking out," Gray laughed, but stopped. Natsu looked sick, but not in the normal way. He had gone very pale, tears fell from his eyes. He kept clutching his heart as he withdrew in himself. He kept whispering something, but it was too soft for Gray's ears. "What is he saying?" he asked Wendy.

The girl tilted her head a bit. She listened closely, trying to make sense of what he was saying. "He keeps muttering in dragon. I'm not as adept, but I think what he's saying is 'she's gone. My mate is gone.'" Running a hand through her short hair she wondered what that meant. When she was growing up with Grandeeney, the girl had only learned a few words in Dragon.

Since the remaining dragons had transformed into spirits, and now searched the earth for more dragon spirits to help protect humanity, she couldn't just ask Grandeeney for a translation. I don't even know where her spirit is at the moment Wendy thought unhappily. They would have to fix this situation themselves.

Hoshi looked thoughtfully at Natsu, cupping her chin in her hand. I wonder, I've seen this reaction before, but not in a Dragon Slayer. If it's what I think it is, than it might mean something is seriously wrong. Only one way to be certain." Gathering her Celestial magic in her left hand, she started to wave it over Natsu biting her lip. A bright red string appeared, coming from Natsu heart. Standing up she followed the light. The team shrugged at one another before following her.

The Celestial Spirit Priestess was totally focused on following the light. She wasn't even aware of her surroundings as she walked through thick brush. As the others went around a stream she plodded right through it. She started to tug on the string, testing it. Natsu let out a small yelp when she tugged on it. Ignoring his cries she continued on her way.

"What do you think she's doing? Why is she playing with a weird string?" Happy questioned. His tail twitched back and forth anxiously. He had known Natsu all his life and didn't remember seeing string coming out of his body.

"She seems to be following it, testing its strength. From the looks of it this string is coming from Natsu heart. I wonder, hey Erza, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Gray asked. Erza nodded, her face changing for a second to a tender loving look at Natsu in her arms.

Wendy hopped up and down, wondering what her teammates were talking about. "What is it? Do you know what is hurting Natsu? Is it something I can fix?"

"Only if you have magic to heal a breaking heart. Natsu heart is hurting because he's been away from Lucy for so long. He can't suppress his feelings for her anymore," Carla told Wendy. She blushed a bit, thinking about her own love life.

"That's his red string of fate? He's in love with Lucy?" Wendy exclaimed so loudly, that Natsu heard it and fell out of Erza arms shouting, "I DO NOT LOVE LUCY!" Gray waked him on the head with a piece of ice. "You do love Lucy, so stop denying it."

Natsu grumbled. He started to throw a punch at Gray, but stopped. His arms drooping to his side, he finally admitted. "Yes, I love Lucy a lot, okay. There I said it! I'm not good with emotions. I couldn't even say anything to her." He looked very miserable and helpless. The rest of the team decided to give him a break. When it came to matters of the heart, Natsu wasn't the best person to talk about such things.

Another sharp tug caused Natsu to fall over and be dragged a few feet. He was yelling at Hoshi to stop. Hoshi tugged harder, her footsteps getting faster. "We're almost there, I can feel it. Should be right around here!" They turned a corner and saw a small opening in the ground near the base of a tree. The dirt around it had recently been disturbed judging by the paw marks. Looking down the hole a bright yellow and silver seal pulsed.

"No doubt about, this is a weak part in the seal. It will be repaired shortly. We need to get in there now, before it seals us off for good," Hoshi informed them. "We need to widen the opening fast. Pulling out Lerceta's key, she called out. "Open the Gate of the Reptile. Lacerta come forth!" There was a ding and the gate appeared, but wouldn't open.

"Please Lacerta, come forth. I need you to help Lucy." The door opened and Hoshi's spirit dropped to the ground wearing armor. The Priestess was shocked. Lacerta wouldn't be wearing armor unless she was planning to go into battle. "Lacerta, we need your help. Can you make the hole big enough for us to get through?"

The lizard nodded, quickly digging up the hole. Dirt flew at an alarming rate. Soon the hole was big enough to allow the humans to journey through. Dismissing Lacerta, the group quickly slid down, Carla being the last one as the seal reinforce itself, clipping some fur off.

* * *

The group looked around trying to get a sense of where they were. They had landed in a petrified forest. A single source of dim light came down from the ceiling. They could hear strange sounds as the Guiding Star materialized in front of them, albeit much smaller and weaker. Hoshi looked at it, then at the string in her hand. Surprisingly two other red strings had attached themselves to the Natsu line leading to Lucy.

"Hmm, three people fated to love Lucy and be with her? That's weird." Hoshi stated out loud. "Natsu, you and the string on the left, are not as bright at the one on the right. Someone is trying to break your strings. I fear someone is messing with fate and Lucy's paying the price."

"Then we need to hurry, now that we're down here, time will accelerate faster than before," Erza said pulling out her sword. "We must remain vigilant at all times. Hoshi, you lead the way." The Priestess nodded as they once more followed the Guiding Star to their lost friend. Hopefully they weren't too late to save her.

Traversing through the Endless Realm of Monsters, turned out to be more trouble than they had imagined. The first problem they encountered, was that they had squeezed inside at the furthest part of the realm. The second problem was that they had no idea how to find their way around, it was not like there was a map of this place. Third, there was a lot of different tribes to get through to reach the capital.

After two days of encountering creatures, ranging from Ricca giants attempting to steal their hair before crushing the, to Noggle water horses trying to drown them in a lake they set on fire, it was becoming clearer that by the time they reached the capital, the war would have started by then. They needed a new plan before they ran out of magic to defend themselves.

They had found a small side cave full of glowing fungus to rest in. Hoshi had called back her Guiding Star starting to exam it. Her magic had been reduced sharply. She doubted she could summon any spirits at this time or cast any spells. Holding the Guiding Star in her hands, it was taking everything she had to keep it from dissolving. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. The Star is very weak, if it runs out of power, we'll never find our way to Lucy."

"If we can even get there. I don't understand something. I can handled a hundred monsters with my on strength and guts, so why is it so hard for me to get passed these hordes?"

"Probably because we're trying not to be caught. Still, we've probably already garnered attention," Gray said, before he started scratching his back. He looked around and grabbed his discarded shirt. He had to stop stripping if he wanted to avoid catching something. "How much further is it until we reach Lucy?"

"It would take the rest of the week to get to her. I can't keep the Star going that long. In fact, I'm almost out of power here," Hoshi replied. Hearing that Natsu declared it was time to start setting things on fire and powering their way to Lucy. Happy was all for it, ready to pounce on anyone who challenged him in a fight. Wendy was hesitant, so far they had managed to handle small groups, but in a big city, especially the castle, there would be tons of hordes, all of them against their small group.

"I don't think a direct attack is such a good idea. Perhaps we can infiltrate the castle in a different manner? There has to be a way inside that they wouldn't be suspicious of human scents?" Wendy voiced to the group.

Natsu whined that he was tired of doing nothing. "Lucy needs are help now! This isn't the time to be subtle. I'm ready to bring the fire to them! I'm going to ugh!" Erza had decided to hit him in the gut this time. He started to spit fire at her only for Gray to ice him up. "I know how you feel Natsu. If something happened to someone I was destined for, I would ice them forever."

"The thing is, if we find a way to get in without using our magic, we'll have a better chance of saving Lucy. So, I suggest we look for some kind of mount or cart is taking supplies to the castle," Wendy suggested. So they left to find a town that would be sending something to the capital.

After traveling for a day, they came across a small town full of domesticated creatures. Two Bodaths, had finished loading a wagon full of a variety of supplies, ranging from bricks to build chimneys to pickled food. While they were distracted hitching up a Lulizar to the front of their cart, the team slipped in the back, cloistering themselves among the food. After finishing hitching up the mount the two Bodaths climbed on the front and began to travel out.

"This is certainly exciting isn't Body. The King personally requested us to bring the supplies to the castle to help the army out. I just hope we make it to Shadow Crystal in time," one of the Bodaths' stated.

"Indeed, I heard that Prince Kentaru, is going to make a huge announcement. Do you think the Celestial Spirit Princess has finally been persuaded to help us Boomer?"

Upon hearing those words, Natsu growled. It was taking everything he had to not punch the smoky humanoids for insinuating that they believed his love would give in to them. Taking a calming breath he remembered Igneel's words about love and friendship. If he cared about them enough, he need to protect them the best he could. Which meant he needed to stay put in hiding. Besides, the longer they remained hidden, the more information they gathered.

Each one on the team took turns keeping an eye on the drivers and the mount, making sure they hadn't been discovered. As they traveled through the tunnels, around chasms, and over a river they picked up a lot of information. The most important was the layout of the castle. Erza helped make a map to aid them in their search. Finally, on the last day of the week, the arrived at the castle.

Carla and Happy crawled out of the back to spook the horse. While the Bodaths struggled to get Lulizar under control, the mages slipped out the back. Finding the servants entrance, they stole some clothing to wear. A quick search helped them find perfumes and colognes to cover the scent. Once rejoined by the Exceeds, they started the search for Lucy.

* * *

"I think our best bet is to split up in teams of two. If we remain in a group, they'll be suspicious. Gray, you go with Natsu and search the east wing. Wendy, Hoshi you have the west. Carla, Happy, take the north, I'll search the south by myself," Erza instructed. The look she gave everyone made it clear she didn't need help in the event she was discovered.

Hoshi and Wendy began their search by deciding to start at the top and work their way down. By now Hoshi's celestial magic, was all but gone. In order to perform space magic, she had to forcefully tap into her second reserve. It was a difficult thing to do yet it was her only choice. Her Guiding Star was no more and she couldn't trace the red string of fate either.

Wendy opened a door slightly peering into the room. It appeared to be a trophy room of sorts. Spotting a human head mounted on a wall, she shivered and closed the door. "She's not in here. I'm just glad that the rulers didn't think to put her up like some kind of trophy."

"Me too Wendy. The prophecy is the only thing keeping her alive. If they find us, especially me, I don't want to think what will become of us," Hoshi stated. She shook her hands and growled at herself. Why hadn't she done a reading of the stars before coming down into this realm?! If she had, maybe she would have some insight how to stop the monster's prophecy in its tracks! Putting those thoughts aside for a moment, she opened another door.

When looking inside, both girls realized they made a huge mistake. They had come across a lounge for off duty members of the guards. All of them had within their reach weapons that is if you didn't already consider them weapons. Noticing the disguised mages at the door, an Urisk, spoke up. "What are you maids doing in here? We didn't summon anyone to bring snacks or get cleaning supplies."

Wendy eeped softly before quickly stepping into the room and bowing apologetically to the off duty soldiers. "Our mistake sir. We're new here and got turned around looking for the cleaning closet on this floor." She changed her voice, manipulating the air around her, to avoid them noticing her accent.

"The King and Queen hired more help at a time like this? Then again if we're going to war it would make sense to have some extra help around," the soldier mused. His friends seemed to agree. "The extra supply closet is three doors down on the left passed the wyvern statue. You better hurry if you want to avoid getting in trouble."

"We will, thank you for your kind help," Wendy responded before bolting back in the hallway with Hoshi. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she let out a breath she didn't know that she'd been holding "That was too close. If we're not careful, someone's going to figure out who we are."

"I know, lets hurry to the closet. Maybe we can ask one of the maids to help." So they hurried to the closet and found a trio of Vadleany giggling among themselves. The forest girls barely had an outfit on, covering their female parts with shed hair. Seeing the girls enter they stopped, their seductive eyes narrowing in anger. A catfight seemed likely as the seductress looked over the humans. "What are you two doing here? This is our supply closet, who sent you?" An auburn haired one asked. No other maids used this closet except them.

"What tribe are you from? You smell like you've been rolling around in dragon manor while playing with humans?" a burnet pestered them. She was very suspicious knowing that the head of staff wouldn't try to mix seductress among one another if they wanted to avoid fighting

"Sisters, I don't think they belong here do they? Why don't we show them what we do to intruders," the silver hair one commented. Tossing her long hair over her shoulder she prepared for battle.

Hoshi glared at them, her hands on her hips. "Excuse me, I didn't know Vadleanies owned a room in the castle. Do you think that you're better than us Vilas?" The name had popped in her head, beautiful storm nymphs who liked to lure men to their death via dancing. "Aren't we supposed to work together for the greater evil?"

The trio looked accosted. No one stepped on their turf and dissed them. Without a word the trio attacked, trying to claw the girls' eyes out. With no choice the girls had to use their magic to defend themselves. A major brawl started taking place as passing figures wondered what the heck was going on in the supply closet, aka, the seductress secret den.

It seemed that the mages had been cursed. Carla and Happy had ended up in the Erklings dorm room. The nasty little gnomes had decided not to wait to feast upon fresh children, once they were free, so now their attention was on the Exceeds. Happy swatted two Erklings back with his fish as Carla used maximum speed to bowl a dozen over. "These creatures are disgusting!" she commented.

"Not to mention crazy. Do I look like a kid to you? Take that!" The blue Exceed managed to punch the snapping jaws of a jumping gnome, the teeth grazing his tail. "Ah those teeth are sharp! We need to get out of here now!" They made for the door, barely managing to get out before the door closed behind them. The two flew down the corridor, searching for the others only to be hit by sand in the face falling asleep instantly.

* * *

When the Exceeds came to they found themselves in a large cell in a dungeon. They hung from the walls by shackles with magic vines wrapped around their bodies. Rolling their eyes the found the others chained up by a variety of methods, with layer upon layer on them to prevent them from escaping. Indeed Erza had a total of twenty different chains, five different plants, along with a several tiny bugs that kept injecting her with a paralyzer. The other girls had also been chained up and Wendy had a metal ring in her mouth to prevent her from drawing in air. Hoshi could barely move with her limbs twisted behind her back as she laid on the ground in the far right corner.

Gray was now wearing some kind of skin that kept him superheated so he couldn't form ice with his arms and legs spread wide. His neck was encased in a shackled making it difficult to breathe. By contrast, Natsu was so covered up and muzzled that he resembled a chained mummy instead of a human. While no one could make out what he was saying clearly, by the way he kept trying break free, it was probably along the lines of, "They think a bunch of chains can hold a Dragon Slayer? I'll find a way out of this, even without Gaijeel!"

The bars on the cell door rattled as the Cynogriffin rattled the bars with their claws. They snarled at the mages, their wolf tails going stiff. _"Quiet down in there! Your attempts to scream are bothering our sensitive ears!" _ The flak leader told them via telepathy. The leader turned to his flak members telling them to do patrols. The omega in the group went on initiative to get more magical draining plants for the future prisoners. The leader turned his attention back to the prisoners settling on his haunches as he waited for someone to arrive.

"We hmmm hmm need to gmmm mmm off hmm!" Wendy mumbled loudly. She stopped talking when the ring started digging harder into her mouth. "Wendy I order you to not talk anymore! I don't want you chocking to death!" Carla commanded her friend.

"Can anyone else talk? Ugh, my arms want to fall off. I think they're going to fall off."

A squawking followed by a howl from their guard alerted the team to the fact that their captors had arrived, Corvusina was praising the Cynogriffin for his excellence in capturing most of them and getting them in their chains. Taro stood off to the side talking with some of the royal gardeners and chefs. "I want their magic completely drained before the start of tomorrow's ritual ceremony understood? Remember, I want these mages alive so we determine if some should be changed or prepared for the feast. I can tell you right now, I would enjoy dining on rare Fire Dragon Slayer steaks on flambé. Understood?" The staff nodded before hurrying away.

Corvusina rolled her eyes, twisting her neck around to give him a look. "You're planning tomorrow's lunch when we haven't even finished with our prisoners' interrogation? I'm not sure King Nain would like that."

Taro smirked widely, showing off his precious mane and barring his teeth. "I think the King would be more interested in learning that you nearly ruined everything by not telling him about these mages."

Erza tried to shoot to her feet. The chains not only were enchanted, but seemed to be crafted from an unknown metal. Even with her great strength, it took everything she had to stand. "By your conversation, I assume you're not the royals. I demanded to know who you are and what you plan to do with us!"

"I also want to ugh, talk to my friend Lucy! She's my friend and Star Maiden. I have to know if she's alright!"

"Settle down Priestess. Why would I allow you or the precog cat out? I won't let you use your talents to look for a way to achieve victory," Corvusina warbled. Carla hissed at the hybrid who batted her wings in response. "Oh you think you're better than me? At least I don't have to rely on wooly movements of the heavens or non-controllable. Unlike you two, I am genuine Seeress with full control over my abilities."

"Apparently not, if you let us get a glimpse of the future. Now, answer Erza's questions!" Hoshi retorted. With a lot of twisting around she had managed to untangle her arms, but still couldn't move from the corner.

In a tightly controlled voice both of high court members told them who they were before rubbing in how they caught the mages. The Adviser and Seeress bickered a bit about the necessity of capturing them before explain the reason they were alive. For now they would be kept alive, while their magic was drained to aid the monsters in the war. A couple of them might be lucky to be chosen to join their side after being transformed. At the moment that was up to debate, but on the orders of Prince Kentaru wanted Natsu cooked and served to Taro.

"If you think I'm going down without a fight you can forget it! Let me at your so called Prince. I'll burn him to a crisp!" A few seconds after he said a voice replied, "Lock Magic: Undine Geyser!" The high pressure water hit Natsu hard nearly drowning him. Finishing coughing up water, he peered through helmet muzzle as he locked sights on his rival. Standing in front of the cage was the handsome monster prince in disguise. The one that stole his Lucy. "YOU!"

Kentaru studied Natsu for a moment. The dragon boy didn't seem to be much of a rival, but he should at least meet his challenge."Yes me, well I guess your primitive mind sensed me snatching, "your mate?" so to speak, away from you. You should have been here the day she arrived. Totally unconscious yet aware on some level of what was happening to her. She thought you would save her, guess not!"

* * *

"Where is Lucy? What have you done to her you fiend?!" Kentaru reached inside his pocket pulling out a portable lacremeia crystal ball. It lit up showing Daichi sitting in a chair with Nori and Onyx sleeping at his feet. A quick shift showed a massive purple and black cocoon laying on the bed. Fairy Tail knew it was Lucy and had bad feeling about this.

The cocoon ripped right down the middle as someone started to emerge. The cocoon transformed into rich energy to fuel the emergence. The bed curtains hid the figure before a few seconds later zipped off the bed and landing at the baseboard to pick and cuddle with Onyx. All the mages gasped, shocked as they looked at the emerge creature.

It was Lucy, completely transformed. Her skin had gotten much darker, the dark raised stripes complemented her thick dark blond hair that slid down her left front side held in place by a red feathery pin. Her eyes had the big black kohl marks with bits of pink color around them. Huge black and purple gargoyle wings with little red tear drop jewels flapped behind her. The purple horns had gotten a bit bigger on her head and her red twig like claws had thinned and sharpened. Both her guild and birthmark had vanished.

She wore a dark red and dark pink of the shoulder top, with a layer of sheath of the same color with butterfly spots on them. Her petal like skirt followed the same pattern, while her open buckle black boots allowed you to see the stripes and showed of the broken manacles on her wrists and ankles. She wore a red and black gem necklace and headpiece. The friend had given in and become her inner monster, a dark fairy!


	9. Legends No More

After seeing the image in the crystal, and after Kentaru finished mocking Natsu, the prisoners were left alone to stew with their thoughts. All of them felt shame and anger. Thinking about what they should have done. If only they had been faster, fought harder, done something more; than their friend and beloved wouldn't be a monster right now.

In an attempt to lift their spirits, Happy tried to give an astir speech. "What are we doing just sitting in this cell? We're Fairy Tail mages, and we've been through tougher times than this. Did we give up when we took down Tartarus? No, nor did we give up at the Grand Magic Games when we had a slow start remember? Erza, you're the strongest female mage ever, how can you let a couple chains hold you down? Come on Natsu, you don't want Gray to beat you on getting out of here right?"

Carla got caught up in his speech deciding to give one as well. "How can we be certain that Lucy is completely gone? She turned into a fairy, a fairy! That must mean she still has love and loyalty to the guild. Hoshi, can you tell if she's lost her connection the Celestial Spirits?" Hoshi nodded then shook her head, indicating that said person hadn't lost her connection. Strangely enough, she could feel it still under a seal keeping it safe.

Hoshi started struggling again, she twisted and rolled. Tugging hard, she started to bash her chains in the wall, ignoring the blood and pain, trying to get her legs untwisted. "They're right, our friend has changed, but deep in her soul, I have to believe that my friend's joy and love for us, still exists. If this is part of my repentance, than I vow will follow it to the end." Hoshi shoved her legs under a bench, hooking them on a leg before trying to use it help untie her legs.

Holding back a scream, she kept moving her legs over and under one another. Stretching her limbs as far as they could in order to get some slack. With one final tug, her legs weren't twisted behind anymore and she shakily stood up on weaken limbs before settling on the bench. "I just…need…. to catch…my breath. Then I can…try to get these chains off."

Inspired by Hoshi's efforts, Erza concentrated. Her magic was draining rather quickly. Digging deep inside, she thought back to the moment when she rebelled against her captures in the Tower of Heaven. The exact moment she unleashed her magic for the first time. "I will not be caged!" A burst of red energy flashed as she used her telekinesis to fling the plants and bugs off her body and crushing them against the wall.

Not wanting to be left behind the others started digging deep to find ways to get partially free. Gray focused on his perspiration coming off his body. Remembering what Ur had taught him breathed in the moisture in the air before blowing it over the sweat pressing against his neck shackle. Tiny pieces of ice formed in the metal, weakening it to the point, when he shoved his head forward the neck brace shattered. Wendy and Natsu were in mid attempt to get their head gear/ring off when the Cynogriffins stood at attention.

* * *

The door to the dungeons creaked open as light footsteps clicked across the floor. Heavy footsteps followed them with some kind of scratching sound. One unfamiliar voice started talking very loudly. "Again, I must protest against this course of action. Seeing them serves no purpose and we have to start the final preparations for the ceremony later."

"Indeed Majordomo Daichi is correct My Lady. Come back with Mora and I. We want you looking your best when you're fully presented to the court," a female voice cut in. They could hear a softer female voice also said something. A loud purring followed by an angry meow drowned out the rest of the conversation. Just before someone came around the corner they heard a very familiar voice speaking.

"Your concerns have been heard. I don't care if you three think this a foolish endeavor. I am your Princess now, so you need to obey me. This won't take more than five minutes." Turning the corner, Lucy the Dark Fairy, appeared in front of the cell. Onyx stood by her side hissing angrily at the mages. Seeing her up close and in person, drove the point home that she wasn't normal anymore. Her eyes held no warmth, only hatred and resentment towards the group. Sneering, she spoke in sharp tone. "Why I am not surprised that you've managed to halfway free yourself in the last forty five minutes. The Cynogriffins and Daichi will fix this situation shortly."

"Lucy, you have to fight this! I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner, but the point is that we're here now. Your family is here, all of us want to save you," Hoshi pleaded. She noticed Lucy still had her keys on her left hung on some kind of web. "My Star Maiden, please come home."

"But I am home. I've been here a little over a month. I waited for you, my so called spirits, my friends to rescue me, but no one ever came! All of you abandoned me! None of you cared about what happened to me. If fact, I think the entire guild was happy to hear I was gone."

"That's not true Lucy, you can't believe that. Since the moment you were taken we've pushed ourselves to get here. Fairy Tail never gives up on a member, remember?" Erza urged her only to have her friend scoff at her. The others chimed in only to be ignored. Plucking a jewel from her wing, (another grew in its place), she tossed it in the cell. It cracked open as red mist hovered in the air before striking them all. The mist was made up of Lucy's hate and anger for them, damaging them both physically and mentally.

"That's what I think of your pathetic attempts to win back my friendship. I no longer care about you. Kentaru has severed my red strings to the stupid reptile and that womanizer spirit. Oh Natsu, if only you could have been truthful perhaps we would have spent our mortal lives together. Glad that's not happening anymore. Enjoy your last few days here. I'll be sure to visit after we've won the war. Onyx, let's go," Lucy said, hovering in the air, before flying back up the stairs. There was a loud slam as the door closed leaving them alone once more.

* * *

A short time later Lucy was in her large bath, enjoying the bubbles as she soaked. Her handmaidens had called in other servants; who excelled as beautician work. Kiki and Mora were in charge of the bath, scrubbing the princess down. Once out of the bath others took care of her hair, claws, even smoothing out her skin.

"Please be gentle with my wings. They're very sensitive right now," Lucy reminded them. She was still getting use to them. That short flight up the dungeon stairway had exhausted her. She had the instincts to fly, but no practice to have built up strength to do so. "Ladies, how long until I master flight?"

"I'm not sure Princess Lucy, perhaps the Queen will be able to help you. For now, we must get you prepared for your presentation at court before your royal handfasting with Prince Kentaru," Mora informed her. She called out to Kiki asking her if the handfasting dress was done.

"Almost, I need to adjust the back for her wings. Mistress, do you know how to switch forms, including clothes?" Kiki asked.

Leaning back in her chair, she thought about it for a second. She giggled a little as her feet were being smoothed out and her toenails trimmed. "Kentaru discussed the basics before I cocooned myself. Should I attempt it?" Kiki shook her head, saying it could wait. "We must continue your preparations. There is much to be done for tonight."

In Prince Kentaru chambers, Nori was bark excessively at the male servants called into to prepare the prince. Angrily he bit the ankle of a brownie. The creature responded by attempting to hit the Keukegen, only to have his arm held in Daichi's massive hands. "Don't even think about hurting the Royal Pet. Do I make myself clear?" The Hibagon asked. Releasing the brownie, he picked up Nori saying he was going to take the doglike creature to the groomers.

"Pick up Onyx as well. The pets need to look their best, tonight!" Kentaru shouted over his shoulder. He tried to get comfortable, but winced once more as a Puka attempted to tame his hair. Turning his head he glared at the Puka. "I understand that you're not one for homes or tending humans. Still we're shorthanded so do your best please!"

Kentaru settled back down. Pampering was not something he usually took advantage of. Still, he need to look his best. A new formal kimono was in the process of being cleaned. His locks needed a good polish. His katana was being sharpened. Tonight was the night everything changed. Everyone was counting on him to finish fulfilling the prophecy.

"Everything, I've ever worked for. My entire journey has been for this moment. Finally, I'll have it all. Respect, power, love and so much more. What do you think about that!" he yelled up at the ceiling, talking to the dead spirits of his family. "I'm going to outshine all of you!"

* * *

Seeress Corvusina waited in her tower, working to finish the potion she would use to unseal Lucy's magic. She brushed her right hand through the shelves above her head looking for a small jar. "Where is that jar, I know it's here somewhere ah here it is!" Her feathers came in contact with the jar she was looking for. It was a super small, purple, with a super tight lid. She gently shook it, hearing the sounds of the contents, she gave a beak smile. "Excellent. This is the most important part of the potion."

There was knock on the door and told the person to come in. Without turning around she knew who it was by the swish of the skirt. She warned Lucy not to get to close to anything to avoid ruining her dress. Humming a tune to herself Corvusina continued to work on her potion.

"I thought you simply had to undo your seal, to allow my magic to flow again. Really, why do you need go through all this trouble?" Lucy inquired softly. She looked at her sharp claws, enjoying the bits of color on the end. She resisted the urge to scratch the black pearl that appeared on her forehead showing the symbol of the monster's kingdom. It looked like dozens of different creatures reaching for a lock. She started to slouch in the chair before pushing herself back up to avoid jarring her wings. She watched patiently, occasionally tapping her foot, as the Seeress finished her work.

Corvusina smiled as the potion started to boil. Taking the lid off of the jar she started to pour the contents in. Blood, from the Celestial Spirits, taken from the dead, entered the mix. It was the binding agent fusing the entire potion together. There was a poof of smoke, which smelled like starfruit, before disappearing. "I'm so glad I was afflated today to create my greatest potion yet. Now to see if it works."

She dipped a thick paintbrush into the potion before removing it. The tip was covered in a black potion with gold sparkles shimmering in it. Lucy, had partially undressed, lowering the dress enough for Corvusina to access the seal placed just below her heart. The seal was now visible again. Chanting a few words Corvusina started to paint the potion on Lucy's body. First, she traced over the original seal. Next, a second seal was crafted. This one was for undoing the original seal.

Then she started to trace lines over her exposed skin, connecting her core to her new birthmark. Lastly she dribbled paint on all the changed parts on Lucy's body before lightly brushing them on to give a soft shine. Putting the paint brush down, Lucy was ordered to stand. Satisfied the paint potion was dry Seeress Corvusina laid her palm against the original seal.

_"The seal of magic is needed no more. Let flow the stars magical powers. Pure of heart, full of love, unite with ambition and deadly zeal. Create a being of heavens and underworld. Make this girl the strongest being ever known!" _

The paint lit up as the original seal vanished. The second one activate allowing once more the Celestial magic to flow through Lucy's veins. In a graceful dance Lucy bent, twisted and moved so her new magic and old merged. It stung a bit, but she didn't feel like she was dying. At last, the process was done. Selecting a key from her ring, she pushed magic into it. At first it didn't respond, not moving at all. A second push and the key responded to her touch. Her connection with the spirits was still intact. She was the first person to retain her original magic and use a monsters power at the same time. "It's done. By this time tomorrow the seal over our realm will be gone and once more we will be free to do as we please!" Shooting off a few sparks in the air she laughed viciously.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Corvusina and Lucy, some of that magic trickled through pipes and into the cell room. Hoshi blinked a few times to make sure what she was seeing was real. A small pool of stray sparks of magic had pooled up from the sewer grate. Stretching her body as far as she could her hand still couldn't reach it. Furiously, she kept trying to stretch, each time her finger tips narrowly missing the sparks. There was a slight thud next to her side. Could they have left me with my keys?

Unable to turn her head, she felt around for the key. After a few minutes of patting around her fingertips brushed metal. Grasping the key tightly, she held it in her left hand and made contact with the sparks. The key acted as a conduit, as the sparks traveled through the key, up her arm, through her blood, until it reached her cores filling them up to top. Her body heated up until it reached yellow star heat, (5000 Kelvin), melting all the chains and killed the plants without harming anyone.

The Cynogriffin saw the light and smelled the decaying plant life. They quickly flew in front of the cell. The prisoners were on their feet with their magic at full power. _"I order you to stand down now! If you don't we'll have no choice, but the end you!" _

"Like I'm going to roll over like a dog! Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" The fireball slammed into the flack roasting them up. Howls of agony could be heard before they charged into the cell, seeing the door was gone. The leader flew right at Natsu, claws ready to slash him. Gray was ready for that sliding across the floor casting his magic. "Ice Make: Columns!" A series of columns appeared around the Cynogriffin. "Erza go for it!

Erza nodded as Wendy assisted by powering Erza up. Calling up her first magic power, telekinesis, and all the chains lifted in the air. Without a gesture she sent the chains to wrap themselves tightly around the Cynogriffin binding their legs and wings up. Happy and Carla, having luring the rest of the flack between the columns got the same treatment. It was Hoshi's turn, she had two different spells in her hands. Using her left hand she cast her primary spell.

"Celestial Magic: Seeing Stars Confusion!" Cartoony stars shot out of her fingers before starting to fly around the flacks heads'. The swirling stars made them dizzy and confused. Using this as a distraction, Gray started to spread ice between the columns to form a cage. Right before the last wall was put up Hoshi used the spell in her right hand. "Space Magic: Moon Madness!" It flew into the creatures eyes as the last wall was in place.

"The madness spell will trick them, they'll believe that we've been recaptured and in the cell, when in reality there the ones trapped."

"Good idea Hoshi. Is something wrong? You look upset," Erza remarked as she summoned her duel longswords. The Priestess eyes kept going from her keys to the door and back. Her face went pale and she nearly lost her grip on her keys. When Hoshi whispered something, Erza insisted that she speak up now.

"That magic booster, it was from Lucy. Her magic has been unsealed."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Wendy asked. "After all, once she summons her spirits, they'll help cure her." The twelve year old had managed to find the stardust capsule that had been hidden in the jailer's office. "If she summons them we might not have to use the stardust."

Carla frowned, a slight premonition entered her mind. She saw a Lucy putting one of her gold keys into Kentaru's locks. There was a loud click and shaking, then the vision ended. "That line in the prophecy. If Lucy combines her magic with Kentaru's then they can…"

"Not only open the seal, but trap Celestial Spirits in cages and use their powers against their kind and other CSM!" Happy realized. "With that kind of power they could take out an entire guild."

"Or worse, destroy the Celestial Spirit World. I have to find a way to warn them before they arrive on Earthland. When fighting a war, they won't go back through their gates for nothing!"

Gray and the Exceeds volunteered to protect Hoshi. If she could find some place close to the surface, she was hopeful she could get a message to her friends. Erza and the Dragonslayers would go find Lucy and hope that the Stardust would still work on Lucy. Splitting up they each sent a prayer to their mentors that it wouldn't be too late.

* * *

Racing through the halls, Hoshi's group didn't seem to be encountering any staff. The Exceeds were flying ahead, checking corridors before giving the okay sign. Gray, without his shirt as usual, was ready to act at a moment's notice. As they ran, Hoshi kept cursing herself.

"Why didn't I see this before? I should have known that something like this would happen. Ardtree and Beteniforvin, mentioned part of the prophecy to us. Those lines, "A great transformation commences as keys find their locks. When the one of sky is made of crystals and blood of fear, the caves will open as the battle nears.'" Hoshi dug her nails into her palms drawing blood. "The lines did predict her transformation and her willingness, we just didn't understand that it meant she was going to keep her powers in order to bring the Celestial Spirit World down!"

"Hoshi calm down, panicking right now won't help. None of us put the pieces together. Our main concern was just getting here and saving Lucy. The prophecy was placed on the back burner," Gray reminded her. He reached out, putting his hands on her arms, willing her to calm down. They both started to breathe in deep, then out. After a few minutes Hoshi was calm again. "Remember, you're the smartest, insightful, and strongest CS mage next to Lucy. You can do this."

Hoshi nodded, calling out to Happy and Carla, each Exceed took a person and flew up to the tower where Lucy had listened to Shadow Crystal. Tiptoeing towards the balcony, the two humans peaked over the edge. Below they could see thousands of creatures clogging the streets in anticipation of the battle, or more likely, the handfast ceremony.

"No one's paying any attention up here. Do you think you can push through the barrier and warn the CS before they reach Earthland?" Happy asked. The Priestess didn't answer, instead she started casting a space spell, hoping to create a small disturbance in the seal. Holding Carla's hand in her right, she pointed her most trusted spirit, Quing the Snake, key up towards the disturbance. "Please work please work."

* * *

Up on Earthland, gates were starting open around the guilds. Everywhere thousands of spirits made their appearance. The front lines had appeared in an area about twenty feet back from where Shadow Crystal was situated in the Endless Realm. Several spirits used their magic checking the status of the seal. So far it seemed normal, and there were no signs of seal degradation.

"The enemy seems unaware of our presences. That's good, we have an advantage. Do we have a status update from Fairy Tail, have they located our daughter," The Celestial Queen asked Pegasus. The noble steed shook his head. Fair Tail had lost contact once the group had entered the Realm. "We can't wait any longer. We need to take action now!"

"I know. Just give me a minute to address the younger spirits and then…" The Celestial Spirit King froze in midsentence. All the spirits across the country felt it, Lucy's special magic had returned with great force. If anything her power had doubled. There was an odd feel to it, a taste of something not right, it was sharp and somewhat foul. The oddness was dismissed as the King smiled, his giant mustache twitching in delight. "She's back, our daughter is back!"

"The mages must have used the stardust on her! Perhaps if we find the right spot we can…"

_"NO! Don't be fooled, you must get away from here!" _a telepathic voice shouted. All the spirits, and the guilds had heard the voice. The voice was female and not really familiar to anyone. A fuzzy image appeared hovering front of all the groups spread across the land. It became a bit clearer as more magic was poured into it. Quing was the first to realize who the voice belong to. "It's my beloved partner, Celestial Spirit Priestess Hoshi!"

_"Thank the heavens, I've been trying to contact you for almost an hour now. The time difference affects magic greatly down here. Beloved Quing, it's because of our bond with one another that you can hear me now. I have something urgent to convey. All of you need to return home now!" _

"We can't, we're here to fight for our princess. To stop the Endless Realm of Monsters once and for all. We just felt Lucy's magic returned. The only explanation is she's cured," Yue replied. The little rabbit was trying to fight the urge to hop as fast as she could to her owner. "I feel her bond with me. She needs me."

_"No, she's been turned into a dark fairy, who can use her original magic without any side effects. I know all of you want to save her however it would be suicidal to do so right now. Princess Lucy and Prince Kentaru are about to have a handfast before using their combined power to break the seal unleashing a massive army across the country, maybe even the entire peninsula. If you don't retreat, their combo attack will imprison all of you, and they'll have humans for the monsters to do with as they please. Retreat, protect your world please!" _ Hoshi begged. Suddenly she disappeared as a great pulse of dark magic was felt across the land.

* * *

Going back to the point when the group separated, Erza and Natsu took the lead protecting Wendy, who was holding the glass bowl tightly in her hands. She was wondering why the contents in the bowl hadn't been touched or the bowl destroyed. Maybe they couldn't touch it, or there was protective charm on it. For some reason, they couldn't move it beyond the jailer's office. That would make sense. I still have to keep it safe, it might be the only way to bring out the real Lucy Wendy thought.

"I smell her and that punk. In fact I swear every disgusting creature is present in the throne room and the…what do you call it?"

"Antechamber. It would explain the lack of guards in the corridors at the moment. Everyone must be attending the handfast ceremony," Erza answered Natsu. She pictured in her mind the layout of the room according to their map they had designed. If she remembered correctly, there was a narrow catwalk that ran the length of the ceiling to help replace the glowworms lights. Hopefully, they could sneak onto the catwalk and be in position to stop the handfast.

"Are your certain stopping a hand…festival, no, that's not right. If we crash the shindig that will stop the seal from be broken?"

"I'm not certain, but its best chance we have. Kick it into high gear! Wendy, make sure nothing happens top that bowl. If you're cornered and have a chance to escape take it!"

"Understood. If I have a chance, I'll toss it over Lucy. I hope Hoshi has managed to get in touch with the Celestial Spirits," the preteen stated. Following Natsu's nose and Erza's instincts, they arrived in a corridor, about five sections to the antechamber. Two Were-jaguars stood guard against an empty stretch of wall. With nothing obvious to protect, that meant a hidden doorway.

"We need to disable them without drawing attention to ourselves," Erza said. She looked at the Were-jaguars, noticing they carried maquahuitl swords and had traditional armor of their Aztec worshipers. Reaching out with sword and telekinesis magic she pulled the weapons right out of their hands.

Surprised, the two humanoid grabbed for their weapons, only for them to fly just out of their reach. Snarling, they swished their tails forward starting to fight like the cats they were. Pouncing and biting, they fought for those weapons. The swords started parrying blows and attacking on their own. About fifteen minutes later, the guards collapsed on the ground exhausted, their weapons falling on top of their heads knocking them fully out.

Racing to the wall, the mages looked for a way to open the panel. Natsu stumbled on the right stone as the wall slid back. Slipping inside they ignored the closing door as they hurried up the stairs. Erza requiped herself into her Heaven's Wheel Armor as she raced up. Finally they could hear voices. A burst of speed and they arrived on the catwalks. Peering from behind a tapestry, the trio got their first look at the ceremony.

Lucy had already been presented to the court and had been accepted. Her outfit was a beautiful black and purple gothic wedding dress, with a razor back to comfortably let out her new wings. She held crystal flowers in one hand. Kentaru was in his wedding kimono staring deep into his bride's eyes. Both stood in large circle made of gems, bones, and a few plants. Floating above their heads were four creatures: a gnome (earth), salamander (fire) undine (water) sylph (air/wind). They sprinkled magic on the couple. Standing just outside the circle, the king stood on his son's right side as the queen stood by Lucy's left. The parents symbolically represented the joining of two families. They had just missed Seeress Corvusina, giving the first part of the speech.

"They're not married yet. We still have time!" Natsu whispered loudly. He ducked down when someone looked in his direction. Erza pointed to the catwalk directly in front before gesturing Wendy to the east. She would take the south since they currently stood on the west. As they moved into position Corvusina continued the ceremony as they invoked the directions to bless the couple.

Natsu was in position looking down as the third cord was draped around their hands. He couldn't let the fourth one be used. "LUCY! Dragon Fire: Burning Heart!" A blast of fire in the shape of a heart burst from his mouth as he leaped down to rescue Lucy. At the same time Erza used her armor to fly over the crowd and start attack. Wendy used her air attacks to loosen the tapestries on to the crowd. Things were in chaos as Natsu barreled his way towards his girl who was leaning up against Kentaru.

He didn't stop to think how easy it was to get through the guards or penetrate a sacred circle. He reached out for Lucy with his hands to touch her, only to find they went right through her as he toppled through her image and landing on his head. "What the in the flaming burns?" The entire room changed as everyone there and in the antechamber vanished. Dark laughter filled the air as the lacremeia screen came to life showing the married couple standing next to each other on a large rock that looked like a key hole.

"Did you really think we would have our ceremony in the manor, with you there? All you've done is fight illusions, yes Erza monster illusions work on your eye. I loved the face plant Natsu, such an enjoyable sight."

"Still, you're too late. Now that we're married, we can do this!" Lucy said, as she put Loki/Leo's key into Kentaru's strongest lock. As the key clicked opening the lock, a dark pulse of magic spread across the country, the peninsula, all over the world. The Realm rose up through the ground as the seal broke into pieces. Finally the monsters were free and the war could begin!"


	10. Vanquishing Evil

**To see a picture of Lucy in her dark fairy form, go to my bio and click the link to my Deviantart account. **

Everyone was in shock and unable to process what had just happened. Shards of the seal littered the entire country. From as far away as the capital Crocus, all the way down to Hargeon Town, they felt earthquakes and watched as entire sections of their residences vanished, before being replaced by parts of the Endless Realm. Shadow Crystal had popped up halfway between Magnolia and Crocus. King Mortain raised cat clawed hands above his head. A giant, green, beaded, wavellite gem appeared in the sky. Smashing his hands together the gem burst into a million different pieces, each merging with a creature. The gem's power included; enhancing decision making, focusing, and balancing their energies so they wouldn't use up all their power quickly.

Confusion and worry quickly changed to fear and panic as dangerous beasts fell from the sky, or leaped out of the water, and lastly clawed their way out of the ground. Normal citizens started running for their lives as black dragon like Gong-Gongs plunged their single horn into the streets ripping them apart sending people in the air or spinning across the ground. In the ports, Avagrah, wormlike sea serpents of giant proportions, attacked at the bay entrances. They went after boats constricting them in their coils before destroying them and hunting for the surviving humans. Aoyin stampedes tore across the land, their four horned heads tearing everything apart as they searched for humans to eat.

The Celestial Spirits responded quickly all over the country. Several of the spirits, such as Norma, (carpenter square), Telescopium, (telescope), and Sextanis, (sextant), joined the front line as backup. Cassiopeia's crown glowed as she swung her sword chopping off the head of an ogre, before blocking an attack with her shield from a Gog. She shoved back the attack sizing up the giant before her. "You shall fall before the might of a great queen!" she yelled before charging forward.

Andromeda whirled her chains around capturing several Pomberos in them. They kicked their hairy feet at her as she drew them closer. She ignored their straw hats thrown at her, even as the mucked up her armor, making it difficult to move. "Kill her, she's a killer of birds! Kill her!" the little men shouted breaking free of the chains. Forming a semi-circle around her. From their ragged clothes they pulled out slingshots, blow dart guns, and even poison tipped arrows before firing them.

Pulling out her dagger, she blocked the darts before jumping around to avoid the arrows. She let out a scream as her body was pelted with sharp stones. Her armor absorbed the attacks mostly, but it still hurt. "I'm not a bird killer you stupid creatures. You're going to regret attacking me!"

* * *

Thirty miles southwest, several animal constellations had gathered in a concentrated area near an old underground entrance. Because cultures all over the world, had used the same stars, to create their own constellations; there were multiple spirits for each incarnation. Meaning, though they had lost many in the last war, there still was enough spirits to handle large numbers of monsters.

A three headed celestial dragon named Mushussu, attacked from the sky while Ostrich, Lupus and even Airavata charged forward. Airavata swung his massive trunk at a group of Mich-Pichoux, (18ft long tigers with Sabertooth features). The largest one roared loudly, rearing up on his hind legs before swiping his five inch claws across Airavata's trunk causing it to profuse blood.

Airavata trumpeted in pain. Two smaller female Mich-Pichouxs jumped up on his back. He tried to shake them off as one female tried to sever his spine and the other kept going for his neck. Airavata stomped his massive feet. Giant geysers erupted drowning the two females. Charging forward, he lowered his giant tusks ready to impale anyone who got in his way.

Lupus was locked in battle against the Manticore. The Celestial Spirit barked and howled as he darted in and bit off one of its lion legs triumphantly. Triumphant turned to horror as the wolf was grazed by the poisonous tail. The leg instantly became paralyzed as Lupus managed to limp away. The Manticore laughed, "What's the matter you stupid mutt, I just returned the favor you did for me!" Again and again the Manticore lashed out with its deadly tail. Lupus silently thanked his Royals for insisting that the Zodiacs routinely spar with the constellations. Avoiding that deadly tail, while looking for an opening to shove that stupid creature into the ground, was his life's missions. His super sharp ears rotated around, trying to pinpoint the vulnerable spot on his foe. Blocking out the sounds of painful cries from other spirits, he adjusted his stance to put less weight on his useless limb, before clashing once more with the Manticore in a fight to the death.

* * *

Scattered in towns all over Fiore, such as Baslam or Shirotsume, Animal Zodiac members had fixed themselves as the main protectors. All six of Hoshi's friends had chosen a city to keep safe. Each of them was drawing strength from the citizens who were compatible with them and blessing them in return with luck to survive the war.

Xiaoying jumped from building to building letting out a hoot. She was being chased by a Bogol Todshawhill, (tricksters with old lady upper bodies and powerful stout legs), turning invisible before trying to sneak into a home to bother the humans taking refuge there. "Oh no you don't, get out of there!" Xiaoying changed in mid-swing into an ocelot before pouncing on top of the monsters. Switching to a hippo she tried to squash her foe, who snapped her fingers sending the spirit flying. Changing into a vulture she managed to weave around the buildings coming from behind. The Bogol jumped on to the rooftops hopping away with the Monkey going after her in her human form this time.

Shing was in his human form driving away several Tanuki with his music. Grabbing some wax he stuffed his ears so he wouldn't hear the belly drumming and fall under their illusionary magic. Seeing he managed to drive a few out of town, the humans followed his example. Soon all sorts of instruments were playing driving the Tanuki crazy. With a group effort, the Tanuki were led into several barrels of saki before trapping them inside. The Tanuki would drink themselves into a stupor and not bother the town's people as they tried to get rid of the other pests popping up all over the place.

* * *

At the field hospital near Quarto Cerberus, Jai and her assistant, Equuleus the Colt, who looked like a little girl riding on a rocking horse, had their handfuls as Horologium kept bringing in casualties from the different battle fields. The grandfather clock was really running out of energy from so many spontaneous teleportations. "I've brought Nkombe, (Sunbird), and Ptesan-Wi (White Messenger Bull) from Freesia Town. Puff, puff, puff. Both have sever electrical burns from Lightning Serpents and a gang of Raiju weasels."

"Dang it, I'll take PW here and see what I can do," Equuleus promised. She threw a toy lasso and gently pulled the bull onto her toy horse. Surprisingly, it didn't break as tottered off at full speed to get help for her friend. Jai called out to the new star spirits to take Nkombe and start splinting his broken wing.

"How bad is it out there? The war only started an hour ago and already I'm halfway through my supplies," Jai asked anxiously. Glancing around at half the beds taken up by her fellow spirits. If human casualties started coming in, she didn't know what she would do.

"We lost the Huran sisters ten minutes ago. The sisters were trying to dance the Keen Keengs into an enchanted fire, only to be shoved in by the monsters. Several human mages from a variety of guilds have been pulled out for temporary treatment or continue to fight ignoring the wounds."

"Get back out there and try to get as many people to safety as you can. Try to conserve your energy!" Jai warned him. Right after he left a blast of some kind nearly took out the infirmary. "Cover the patients! Get down ah!" Jai ducked under a table wrapping herself up in her hair as another blast. She recognized the sound of horse hoof beets, but these were not normal. She only could hear three hoofs per horse.

Jai started to crawl out to investigate when an arrow nearly went through her hand. More arrows ripped through the celestial tent, destroying several containers of medicine and badly wounding some of the new star spirits, who had continued to bravely work, despite the obvious danger. Someone ducked through the starry entrance flaps gasping for breath before grabbing a mask to help breathe in this partially celestial spirit area. "Who's in charge here? I have some news," Goldmine said. He had a deep cut in his left thigh were an arrow had grazed him.

"Master Goldmine, sit down please. You're going to bleed out." Jai said, grabbing some magical bandages before quickly binding up the wound. "You shouldn't be here. Oh, we never should have asked your guild to protect the hospital."

"Hey, it was my guild's choice to assist you. We would have done anything to help Markov's guild. He was my old partner so I won't abandon him or his friends, when he needs help. I came to tell you my mages are standing up to those Bergfolk right now, so you can refortify your defenses. I'll even help you." Everyone inside let out a sigh of relief as they started the task of fortifying their defenses.

Outside the hospital Team Quarto Puppy, had unleashed their wild spirit. Each man was cutting loose as they fought against the Bergfolk. The pride of the guild was on the line. If they could defeat the enemy, the guild truly earned the right to call themselves Quarto Cerberus.

Rocker was singing the loudest rock and roll song he knew. The muscular pointy hair mage was having the time of his life. "Oh yeah howwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwllllllllllllll! Time to earn little respect. You puny trolls got nothing on me!" He actually ran towards west side of the coming army. Activating his Drill'n Rock magic, he drilled right throw them whirling his arms around causing several Bergfolk off their horses. He wheeled around and struck hard and fast embedding several of the in the ground.

Jager, Nobarly, Semmes, led by Warcry all fought very hard. No matter how many times they got hit or injured they fought right back with all their magic. The Tear Magic flooded the area making it harder for the three legged horses to move.

Truly though, the hero of the fight had to be Bacchus, with his Palm Magic. Once he was drunk enough, his Drunk –Chop Hanging Fist overwhelmed the enemy. They couldn't see him coming as he raced through the army. Their attack just bounced off his bare chest as slammed his fist in the ground, creating a crater so big the entire army fell in screaming loudly as the abyss swallowed them up. "Nothing like a fist fight to bring out the animal in me. I might even score a Celestial Lady for this."

* * *

Fairy Tail was holding their own as they inched their way to the main fighting. That's where they would find their fellow guild mates and where the serious fighting was taking place. The bond they shared with their fellow mages, (plus Warren's telepathy), told them that Lucy was in the thick of things, and she was _not_ on their side.

The Strauss siblings led the way, their takeovers giving them a distinct advantage to survive, as the entire guild was under assault in minutes. Mirajane was in her Satan Soul: Halphas form. Flying at top speeds through the air she prepared to use her Cosmic Beam attack against her foe, a Kulshedra. Flying at top speeds she rushed the Kulshedra going in for a close combat attack.

The half drooping breasted woman/nine tongue dragon creature ducked under the attack. As Mirajane turned around she was rushed from underneath being struck by flaming body of the Kulshedra. The fire didn't penetrate her durable skin, but it did make her body itch all over. "So you can fly and spark, let's see how strong you are."

"Pathetic mage, even as a demon, you can't defeat me!" The two rushed each other both latching on to one another. Their wings kept beating super-fast as they clawed and bit each other. They shoved each other back and forth trying to determine who was the strongest of them. Fire and cosmic energy clashed over and over with no clear winner at the moment.

Lisanna and Elfman had run into their own set of problems, as they continued press on. Lisanna was in her Animal Soul: Cat. In her partially transformed state she used her tail for balance as she climbed trees in an effort to get an advantage. Her opponent was a Chapalu, a giant swimming cat. The Chapalu fluffed out his coat before using one giant paw to sever all the trees Lisanna was using.

Flipping in mid-air, she land on top of the creature. Avoiding the tail, she dug her claws deep as the monster dove into a nearby river trying to drown her. With enormous effort, she managed to crawl towards its head, taking a deep breath once the surfaced. "You're not the first cat I took over and you won't be the last!"

While his sisters fought one on one, Elfman found himself under attack by multiple beasts, several resembling the ones he had taken over. All of them were out for revenge of their tribe mates. It didn't look good for him. All he could do was stand his ground and hope to take over them at a crucial moment.

Similar battles were simultaneous occurring among Fairy Tail. They were driven apart or snatched up by monsters who had immunity against a mages power or could take out their special brand of magic. For example; Nab Lasaro, the famous mage who didn't like taking jobs, found himself up against two Anaskelades. The two mountain size donkeys race around, trying to loop their string reigns around him in attempt to kill him.

"Finally, a job fit for me! I'm not scared of any animal! Seith Magic: Coyote Bite!" His left arm turned bright yellow as he swung his fist at one of the massive donkeys, connecting with it barrel like body. Giant bite marks appeared on its side as the ungulate bayed in pain. Its friend turned around kicking out with his hind legs sending the mage two and half miles through brush, plains and such. Using the power of a rhino, he dug in deep before he could fall in a gulley. While taking a few deep breaths he failed to hear the approaching until something, like a chain, whipped him on the back. His magical core shut down as he was kicked to the ground as someone whistled for the Anaskelades. The female voice that mocked him, "I hope you like being stomped to the death,'" didn't register in his mind.

A group consisting of Max Alors, Reedus Jones, and Vijeeter Ecor, had been combining their sand, picture, and lastly, dance magic to combat Ananta, the thousand headed sand serpent. Max was able to keep his sand wall up as the other two used their magic to overwhelm the creature's heads. "I think I can bury it, just cut off a couple more heads," Max advised. Reedus and Vijeeter nodded and got ready to attack when a brilliant flash of light blinded them. The three men were unable to see for as a black blur darted around them slashing them with sharp, pointy claws that left a paralyzing and hallucinogenic poison in their systems. A mad giggle and the blur was gone leaving the boys in a dangerous position.

* * *

Back with the Celestial Spirits a small squadron consisting of Crateris, (The Cup), Indus, (Native American), and Octans, (Octagon), plus several new star spirits and Cancer, had been battling for over twenty five minutes with a punch of pixies, sprites, and a few Havfine's that could change their tails into legs or bring the water with them.

"Have some tea you nasty little brats!" Crateris snapped, pouring her hot tea over the sprites. Indus lead the new star spirits as they went hand to hand against the pixies. The pixies opened their tiny fanged mouths to chew on the new star spirits. Yelling a battle cry the new star spirits jumped on top of the pixies pulling and hitting them as Indus battle a combined pixie monster.

Octans jumped back, dodged, move left, right, another right and left before nailing one Havine. Over his shoulder he could see Cancer cutting away anyone who stood in his way. Ignoring the dripping blood, the giant crab stylist pushed on. "We've got to reach the royals ebi ebi!" Octans nodded before doing a double kick to break the tail of the evil mercreature. The prickling on the back of his neck was his only warning. Jewels rained down accompanies by shafts of celestial energy injuring him. Crateris and Indus flung themselves over the new star spirits as Cancer tried to locate the source of the attack. Darkness washed over them as they became catatonic. The truth eluded them about what no _who, _had attacked them.

As the war reached its two hour mark, the battle between royals was still going on without anyone needing to stop and rest. Queen Brighantia had grown as tall as the Celestial Queen. Summoning the power of her river she had created a twisting tendrils of water all around her body. With pinpoint precision and deadly speed, with a quick twist and thrust, three jet power pressured geysers shot through the air at the Celestial Queen.

Celestial Queen raised her Comet Scepter, the silvery diamond on top shimmered brightly. Pointing it at the incoming attack a powerful force field in front of her to block the attack. Whirling the Scepter above her head, she called forth the power of space, then unleashed the power of the Milky Way at Brighantia.

Smirking the Queen of Monsters, transformed herself into the Celestial Queen for just a moment, so the attack did nothing upon impact. Rising up on a waterspout she pounded her river against the shield trying to crack it open. "I never expected you to be so weak Celestial Moon Queen!" Queen Brighantia taunted her. Calling her the Moon queen was a derogative nickname several tribes had come up with, just as Sun King was. It was meant to taunt them saying that as powerful as they were, the greatest celestial objects, had more power than them. "I must thank you on behalf of my son. He's very grateful for the preparation you did for his wife. She makes an excellent daughter in law."

"My Star Daughter, is not your _daughter_ in any term! You should be ashamed of yourself! I thought you protect children, not tear them away from their families!" The Celestial Queen looked at her counterpart with contempt and disgust. "You give fairies a bad name!"

Queen Brighantia laughed, she was a semi bad fairy after all. Aquinas did like to drown people who disturbed their river. Especially snotty giant queens who though they were better than everyone else. "You won't be saying that when you see your precious former daughter."

The Celestial King couldn't believe how much trouble he was having with a dwarf with goat legs! King Mortain was dancing around able to dodge every sword swipe while still launching treasure magic at him. He blocked an incoming blast of gems and precious metals with his Meteor Blade. He swung it around gathering up speed trying to cast a powerful time spell, but the Nain jumped in the air scratching runes on it making sure it couldn't do that. "There's a reason I'm the King of Monsters you overgrown celestial! I'm smarter than I look!"

"I acknowledged that you're very smart. Also manipulative, devious, not to mention rude! I can forgive most things, but deliberately kidnapping my daughter, and turning her into a creature against her will, is completely unforgivable." He raised his sword prepared to deliver his Galaxia Blade attack when he dropped his blade clenching his heart.

An amused expression appeared on King Mortain's face as his foe took several steps backwards nearly toppling over. The melodious sound of rushing water reached his ears as his wife touched down next to him. The Celestial Queen rushed to her husband's side. Snapping his fingers a mound of treasure appeared behind them that dissolved the head adviser, majordomo and Seeress. Along with also his son and the pets. Gloating, he flexed his claws barely sparring a glance at his foes, even though they still represented a huge threat. "I see you're experiencing a broken heart all over again. Pity, it didn't kill you this time. Maybe you need a bigger shock to your systems."

"Mind your tongue you insensitive dwarf! There's nothing wrong with my heart. I'm not done yet and neither are my old friends," the Celestial King grunted as he stood up. His wife steadied him, calling mentally to the Zodiacs to get here ASAP. Raising their weapons they prepared to attack when a brilliant beam of white light appeared in the air between the two groups. A very familiar voice echoed as the spell took place: "Celestial Space Magic Combo: Light Beam Teleportation!" The light vanished revealing Dark Fairy Lucy!

"Hello my former parents, I'm glad to be in your presence once more. You're a little late for the wedding, but just in time to be crushed by my reception," Dark Fairy Lucy mocked them in her new form. "Did you bring me a present? I could always use some horn polish, after all they're not done growing yet."

"LUCY! Child, what did they do to you?" Celestial Queen whispered. She reached out to touch her, only for the teen to fly out of reach and weave her way between the royals. Zooming at super speeds she hurled dark and light magic combined that ate through their armor. Their skin started to peel right off, but nothing hurt worse than having their adoptive child scar them with the kanji for hate and anger. Both of them groaned and started to lose their footing.

She hovered in the air looking at them with scorn, her brown eyes turning black with hate. She landed on the ground, dragging her husband to the front. "I officially denounce you two as my parents. Kentaru's family is all I need and just to prove it, watch what we can do when we combine our power."

The Zodiacs arrived just in time to witness seeing their princess raising four keys into the air. Even as they supported one another their bond with Lucy was being twisted as they felt evil enter their bodies. Resisting with all they had, they were powerless as she called _four_ spirits at the same time!

"I, Princess Lucy of Two Worlds, command my spirits to appear by my side. You shall be the weapon to bring the destruction of the Celestial Spirit World and Earthland, leaving only the Endless Realm of Monsters! My four strongest class of spirits!" The keys sparkled as, the bronze, silver, gold, and platinum keys forced open a direct connection to her. "I call forth Ardtree, Crux, Leo, and Rabbit! Appear by my side now!"

Unable to ignore the summons, the four spirits appeared right next to her. Smirking, Lucy gave them an ultimatum. "You can willingly obey my orders and destroy your fellow spirits or pay the consequence. What will it be?" All four said no as expected. That's when Kentaru grabbed locks from his belt and used them.

"Lock Magic: Imprison Spirits!" A tiny little padlock captured Ardtree. The little spirit cried as his life force was zapped away. His cage, (looking like a hamster cage), rose into the air. Hovering hundreds of feet in the air, he cried harder as he was to suck up all the life force of his fellow spirit kind.

Crux tried to hover/fly out of reach. He was just too slow as Kentaru's katana sliced a deep wound in his body nearly cutting him in half. His eyes popped way open as he opened his mouth to berate the man. "Sorry I don't want to hear a thing you say. Lock Magic: Akashe Records Librarian!" A penned in cage with suspended chains held the prisoner. He let out a moan as all the knowledge he ever scanned was sent, by way of his telepathy, into the monster tribes' minds. Now the tribes had twice amount of knowledge to use.

"No, I won't be captured! Lucy, please stop this ahhhhhh!" Yue screamed as she slipped and fell into a hutch that locked up tight. The rabbit thumped against the walls and tried to change shape. Nothing worked as her speed magic was transferred.

The only one still not captured was Loki/Leo. He was using his sheer will to stand his ground. "Regulus magic, Twister!" The spell from his ring blasted the evil prince away. Once more he felt a tiny tug towards Lucy, looking at her. He could still feel the part of her that belong to him. He had to resist being captured and used.

* * *

"I grow bored with this. If you will not be caged, then I kill you and use your pelt to line my throne!" Kentaru bellowed. The prince charged forward ready to attack, when suddenly time seemed to slow down. No one, not even the Celestial King, (who wasn't using his time magic), could move more than a fraction of an inch. Several semicircle black circles appeared, encompassing different groups. One such portal took Kentaru and Loki a hundred miles away from the main battle with Natsu appearing by the Celestial Spirit's side.

Lucy was all alone as time resumed. She twisted about trying to figure out what happened before she was blindside by a magical energy release. "Who dares strike me?"

"I do and don't try calling for back up. Horizon Projection has not only separated everyone to a particular battle field, we're also out of phase of reality. A precaution to protect the world from further damage," Hoshi said, appearing in a mists of sparkles. The Celestial High Priestess looked ready to battle, the bowl with the stardust securely tied to her back. "I'm the only one who can fight you on equal terms Lucy." Hoshi brushed her green hair back as she got into a fighting stance, magic sparks all over her hands and feet. It was her turn to save Lucy from herself, as she had done for her so many months ago. Lucy curtsied and the fight between Celestial mages began once more.

Hoshi had to remain focused. A split second before Lucy could ram her she jumped into air and started levitating. "Got to get this under control. Okay focus, you can do this yes!" The Celestial Spirit High Priestess was able to control her movements and fly around. "Thank you Oba for teaching me this gravity control spell."

"Neat trick, the question is do you have enough magic to maintain it," Lucy taunted as she came to a hover about ten feet from her. The jewels on her wings jangled as she flexed her wings. Reaching behind her head, her fingers traced the spines. It was obvious that she believed that her natural wings would last longer than any gravity magic. However, Lucy was forgetting two things. One, she hadn't built up the muscles or endurance to sustain flight for long periods of time. Two, Hoshi had learned to master gravity flight from both Oba and Libra herself. The air battle would be determine by who could stay up the longest.

Hoshi floated higher and twisted around, going into a dive, before climbing back into the air and using her arms to block a direct punch from Lucy, who had been keeping pace. The dark fairy prepared to strike her with her chains, but the priestess was faster kneeing her in the stomach and smashed her head back with a palm strike. Even in pain, Lucy reacted striking out with her left hand tearing off part of Hoshi's shirt leaving deep cuts in foe's right arm. Both blasted each other with celestial magic neither side gaining an advantage.

"Why don't you just give up? You can't beat me. Do you really think those pathetic excuses for mages and the mangy cats can defeat the highest ranking members of court? My pet Onyx will crush anyone who tries to keep her from her mistress."

"You have such little faith in the ones you loved? Observe for yourself and see how the monsters fall one by one." Touching her temples the priestess projected a spinning globe in the air. Different images flashed as it spun. There was Erza requiping with a pole arm in the midst of battle with Corvusina. The bird lady was attempting to predict to predict the warrior's next move. Corvusina squawked as she flew in the air and kicked out with her leg releasing a powerful powder at Erza. That powder was strong enough to kill an S Class mage within seconds if it touched her skin. Erza didn't even hesitate as she twisted her weapon around, plowing right through it and going after Covusina's head.

Another image appeared showing Gray and Taro wrestling around in the middle of an ice field. It was a bitter battle as the old Donestre used his weight to topple the ice child to the ground. He was roaring death threats in a multitude of languages. His lion mouth opened wide, ready to eat Gray. When the jaws snapped shut Taro let out a painful roar. Gray had switched himself out with an ice clone. The real Gray had donned an ice outfit resembling a hunter. He was ready to kill his prize.

More flashes appeared faster. Wendy had entered Dragon Force mode. She was using its power to gain the upper hand against Daichi. Her air attacks had reached lethal levels as she poured on the attack. Then there was an image of Happy and Carla tangled up in a fight with Onyx and Nori. It was a rough and tumble fight between the animals. A quick snippet showed the royals at it once more, though the Celestial Spirits appeared more driven then ever. Right before the globe could show an image of the males clashing, Lucy burst the bubble.

"I won't be distracted by your false images! I know that my new family will win. I'll even bet the entire realms jewel collection that Kentaru, in his true form, is ripping apart those losers I was tied to." The priestess said nothing as the girls started to fight again.

* * *

Prince Kentaru was done playing games with those who opposed him. He had won Lucy fair and square. It didn't matter that she had been also tied to these two idiots, a hot headed human dragon and a womanizing celestial spirit, his red string of fate had been answered first! He had come too far and had risked everything on this prophecy. "I consider myself a reasonable person. I hold myself to a high standard, but you two have succeed in trying my patience!"

Natsu rolled his eyes as he glance at Loki. "What did I tell you, this guy is nothing, but an arrogant prick. He's so full of himself, he actually believes that he's Lucy's true love."

Loki barked at Natsu not to let his guard down. He knew this opponent was stronger than he looked. If he had earned the title Monster Lad, that was a sign he was ruthless and cunning. Kentaru's actions proved he cared about Lucy as much as Natsu and him. Calling on his full power he waited for the prince to show them his true monster form. He didn't have to wait long.

Kentaru reached down into his battle kimono and pulled out a chain with a lock on it. Pressing his thumb against it, the lock clicked open as immense power was released. The two Fairy Tail members shielded their eyes as the magic circle burned brightly. They watched in stunned amazement as Kentaru changed forms.

He grew at least a foot taller as his skin became pitch black. His ears got pointy as his fingernails changed into cat claws. He was becoming super muscular, but kept his lean shape. His dark brown hair kept growing until it reached middle of his back as light blue highlights appeared. His yellow eyes grew wider at the same time his mouth grew four fangs. His human feet turned into huge horse hooves belonging to a stallion. Large gossamer fairy wings sprouted out his back as his clothes changed into a metallic suit with pouches of water on his hips. This was what a child of a Nain and Aguane looked like. Neither Fairy Tail boy had time to even think, "this is bad'" before Kentaru struck out at them.

Neither Natsu nor Loki knew what hit them as they were struck by the edges of Kentaru's wings, while gossamer, the edges had tiny hooks that tore flesh. Before they could contemplate the attack Kentaru tore through them again. Using his immense strength, the dark prince grabbed in his hands shooting up into the sky. Spinning them around like dolls, he kicked both of them to ground breaking a few of their ribs.

Loki used his Twister spell to cushion the boys' fall. For once Natsu was suffering from motion sickness. He took a deep breath about to fry Kentaru only to be intercept by a piece of chainmail got lodged in his mouth causing him to choke. At an indecision, Loki only had seconds to cover his hands in light as he blocked and threw punches at Kentaru, who had landed in order to get up close and personal.

"I can't wait to put you in a cage and torture you for the rest of your life," Kentaru revealed as both of them high kicked each other. The Monster Lad twisted his foot unbalancing Loki, who in mid flip fired a bright light that bounced off the armor hitting himself instead. Pushing through the pain he rushed Kentaru, managing to strike him at his knee joints and twisting his wrists.

For a moment he thought he had an advantage only to discover Kentaru had led him into a trap. A magic circle of water activated. Twin streams of water flowed from the flasks circling around him until he was in a below freezing water globe. He couldn't drown, but unlike his friends Pisces and Aquarius, he couldn't handle the temperature. He was slowly being tortured to the point of near death.

Kentaru was watching amused as the Celestial Spirit slowly died in front of him. As soon as he was near death, Kentaru was going to decapitate him and hang his head as trophy, above his wedding bed. That would make an interesting night wouldn't it?

Without warning an explosion took place hurling Kentaru across the ground. Another one hit his face and almost hit his manhood. With enhanced reflexes he reacted, scratching runes in the air. The ruins changed into metals; steel, gold, even titanium intercepting the fire fueled punches. Slabs of molten metal sprayed across the landscape destroying everything in sight. Outmaneuvering his opponent, he managed to get around so he could bit Natsu, in the arm. Kentaru bit harder trying to clean through the bone.

A wall of flames pushed him back and severely singed his hair. He whipped out his sword and lock. Striking the sword against the lock, the magical blade became embed with lock magic. Holding up his sword, the flames and incoming Lion Brilliance, started drawing the attacks to the tip of his sword. Touching the tip of the sword, the power went straight from the weapon, into his body healing his injuries in seconds.

Jumping up to an incredible height, he came a stop on the tip of a large tree. "I have to say I'm impressed. I haven't had such a great workout in a long time." Sheathing his blade and crossing his arms, his big yellow eyes zoomed in on his targets. Natsu had finished drying Loki, who used regular ring magic to form a protective barrier around the two of them. As if he couldn't break that in a second. One more powerful attack and they would be bloody corpses.

That's when all three boys jerked around. Bright red strings appeared coming from their hearts. Strings that attached in midair to another sparkling red line. Each felt the tugging along with burst of love for each of them. It was great relief for Natsu and Loki, but Kentaru was very close to giving into his rage. How could strings of fate, ones he personally cut, reattach themselves and be stronger than before?

I'll just have to kill them both to ensure they can't interfere with my Lucy. I'll have to triple combine my powers in order to defeat them. Time to attempt the impossible! Triple Unison Raid!" His sword started change and grow, water wrapped around it as a coat of pure jade covered it. A second sword started to materialize. Finally, he was holding a brand new jade bladed katana, with two locks inscribed on the grip. The tip of the blade glowed blue. His companion sword, the wakizashis, looked similar with the color scheme reversed. "Ha I did it! The first Triple Unison Raid!"

"Big whoop! Let's see how it matches up against up the first Unison Raid between a Dragon Slayer and a Celestial Spirit," Natsu roared. He grabbed Loki's ring hand feeling his friend's magic joined with his flames. "Bright Flames Dragon Mode!" The two powers became one as a bright flickering light surrounded by flames danced across the two friends. This was the real battle, one that would be decided by death!

* * *

Meanwhile, back with Hoshi and Lucy, the fight was nearing its endgame as both of them tired. This war had been going on for almost three hours now. Both of them had felt the loss of spirits, monsters, and humans, even in this out of phase reality. If there was one thing both girls agree on at the moment, they both wanted the killings to stop.

Lucy clutched her head trying to block out the mental cries. She felt the death of the Xiang Yao as its ninth human head was smashed. Her horns lit up when a nearby mage used up all their magic to save others dying in the process. She and Hoshi cried tears as the great Suzake gave its final song before dying. "No, I won't be distracted by this. I have to ignore it for the greater good."

"You would ignore the cries of the dying? Think Lucy, in your heart you know that this isn't right. No matter what you are, you never wanted to see the death of those you love," Hoshi reminded her. "What about my family remember? You punished them for abusing their powers because you loved Celestial Spirits so much."

Lucy raised her hand summoning her whip. It cracked in the air as she whipped around attacking in fury. Hoshi formed a staff from her celestial magic. She blocked the incoming attacks. Standing her ground, she spun herself around the staff, her left boot snagging Lucy's keys. As she was turning away Lucy whip struck the bowl on her back, shattering it as the Stardust fell to the ground becoming inert.

A horror stricken Hoshi looked at the dust. It was gone, the precious item that could have cured Lucy was no more. She let the dust slip through her fingers, before she was kicked in the back. Several punches hit her at once as jewels rained on her. The pain was overwhelming, nearly breaking her mind. A slap from the chains and her magic was almost completely cut off. Hoshi was lassoed and brought towards Lucy. The Dark Fairy features started grow a little as her black lidded eyes focused on the perfect vein to tear apart. "You've lost! The prophecy will come true. After I eliminate you, I'll stop feeling all weird. Ugh, what did you do to me? I feel warm and content, even safe and loved. Why? Why do I feel this way towards you?!"

The High Priestess didn't say anything. She felt her Fairy Tail friends, save Natsu and Loke, win their fights as they phased back into reality. The royals would soon finish their battle, but now was the time to act. Praying to the heavens, her sparkling flower decoration started to glow brighter, sparkles getting bigger. Too late, Lucy tried to get away as the Stardust Pollen burst out and showered her with the healing magic.

* * *

Inside a battle was being fought, as three parts of her personality fought. The Celestial Princess wanting to help her kind. To lead her fellow Celestial Spirit Mages to victory. Human Lucy felt the need to find her friends. The guild and the innocents were forefront in her mind. The dark fairy, wanted to stay, to finish what she started. At that moment, their red strings of fate appeared and they all felt through the bond the same thing. Their loves were in danger!

Hoshi was observing the changes going on the outside. Lucy's left side was starting to turn into her Star Maiden form, straight down her middle normal human skin started to show as her right remained a dark fairy. A yellow aura appeared around her and in the blink of an eye she was gone. "No, she wasn't fully changed. I got to follow her." In the blink of an eye she was gone, collecting the others on the way to fight between the boys.

* * *

Kentaru was struggling to stay in the air. Half of his wings had been severed from an attack. A close range attack had broken his fangs. Blood dripped from his legs and his armor was tarnished. His own weapons had been scratched and he couldn't release water from the tips anymore. His yellow eyes narrowed at his opponents.

Loki's armor had been ripped right off and his suit was practically shredded to bits, barely covering him. His trademark sunglasses were gone, shattered and most of his hair was gone, leaving only a few tuffs left. For the first time ever, (at least to Natsu), his wounds stayed open as goldish blood dripped from them. He was also favoring his right side as he left had become numb.

Natsu wasn't much better. He looked four times worst then he did after attacking Maur Greer and the other demons. His flames had dwindle to mere candle light. For the first time in his life felt almost helpless, his tank was running on fumes and he didn't know what to do. At that moment the three boys knew this would be a final attack. "Well if this is how it ends, I'm glad we were friends Loki. Let's finish this, for Lucy," he held out his hand and Loki clutched it. "For Lucy." For the last time they used unison raid. "Regulus Lotus: Phoenix Impact!"

The two of them shot out like a rocket, as a brilliant lion head made of light with a flaming sword in its mouth, aiming straight towards Kentaru, who was stoop diving at them. His own attack," Treasure Water Torture Lock Death!" Seconds before impact in a burst of sparkles Lucy appeared! She held out her arms to stop the attacks with her magic. There was no way they could stop or veer off course. To the three lovers horror their attacks struck their beloved as a massive amount of magic exploded from her body.

The force of the attacks sent them all falling to the earth. Hoshi and the others, along with the limping defeated monster, followed by the royals' materialized on the scene. The boys had survived the impact. Partially healed from Lucy's magic, they all crawled over to Lucy, wondering if she had survived. As everyone got a look at her, shock overwhelmed them as they didn't know what to do next.


	11. Fear No More

Everyone was still in shock as their minds tried to process what they were seeing. Lucy was still divided into three parts, but deep blood jagged lines had split her up. The celestial side had dimmed. Her eye was losing color as she bled from an open wound on her side. The thin strip of human that made up her middle had turned ashen as her magical core slowly leaked out magic through a hole in her body. The monster side appeared to be dying. The remaining part of the wing was about fall off like her nails had already done. The skin was changing rapidly because her stripes had broken into large splotches. She wasn't really conscious at this point.

Shoving past everyone, both Hoshi and Corvusina, reached Lucy at the same time and stared to exam her. Both started talking to each so rapidly that nobody could make sense of what they were saying. It appeared they were arguing at one point because Corvusina tried to peck Hoshi, who just shoved the beak away before brushing her hand against Lucy's magical core and showing it to the bird woman.

Kentaru, in a rare moment of impatience, rudely asked. "What is going on with my wife? Are you going to save her life or just argue some more?" he demanded. Just looking at her was causing him to lose his emotional control. His wife was hurt and no one was doing anything. They had to save her life! He couldn't imagine not living without her anymore.

Corvusina spoke first, her bird legs trembling. "My prince, this is not an ordinary situation that can just be healed by a potion or magic. Your wife was split into three parts of her personality, her forms if you will. She was in mid change of a Stardust healing, before your strongest attack landed on her. That is making it difficult to figure out how to save her life."

The others looked confused so Hoshi explained that since Lucy had been born human it was her anchor to her other forms. When she stopped her three loves from killing one another, she had drained almost all her magic from her human core, leaving her in a delicate state near death. The Stardust was no longer able to connect with the human core to spread across her body. Also, because her sides had been fighting for dominance, none of them had been full in control so the healing had been divided by thirds when she had blocked the attack, so now all three parts of her were dying. "This is the worst thing that can happen to her in this state."

"Why? She's partially immortal isn't she? Won't that part survive?" Wendy questioned. She kept hopping up and down, wanting to use her magic to heal her big sister, but not sure how to do so without making things worse.

It was Queen Brighantia who answered the child. "I'm afraid not dragon of sky. Each creature has their own way to sustain life. For instance; my life and that of my husband's are tied to the source of our magic. If my river dried up or his treasure stash was stolen and not recovered in time, we would die. Some monsters can be killed and regenerate themselves after a period of time. Others have long life spans, such as Kentaru here, but will die eventually. Your friend hadn't been a Dark Fairy for long; so she never learned how to regenerate. With only a third of her still a monster, she doesn't have the strength to heal."

"She won't be reincarnated either. Her Celestial form isn't complete. She's lost to much blood and magic to allow that to happen," the Celestial Spirit King admitted. Next to him, Celestial Spirit Queen was weeping openly, unable to accept that her daughter was dying and nothing could be done.

"Worse, there's so little human left, that her two other forms are dragging her down with them. Her soul is weakening fast. If she dies now, it won't ascend to the afterlife. Lucy just will cease to exist," Hoshi admitted sadly. The other humans looked shocked upon hearing that.

"There has to be something you can do. We've got mages, monsters, and Celestial Spirits. Are you telling me that we're just going to give up? Between all us there has to be something we can do. We all care about Lucy right?" Natsu shouted angrily. He was on the verge of blowing up. He couldn't lose her, not before he got to tell her how he felt.

"I could freeze in cryogenic state. That would keep her in suspended animation, until we could cure her," Gray suggested. Daichi shot that down saying that the shock of being frozen would cause her fairy half to shut down completely due to the rapid change to her body.

Taro asked Corvusina if one of her magical cocoons could be used to restore the girl to her full monster form. The Seeress said that the transformation was a one-time deal. You either survived it or not. No turning back if the person got hurt like this.

Loki asked Erza if she could just store Lucy in her requip dimension for a time only for the Knight to point out her dimension was for inanimate objects, not a living being. Even the animals' suggestion of replacing the missing magic with their own was rejected. It had to be hers or none.

Kentaru reminded quiet, having settled on the ground next to his wife. He held her right hand in his, feeling her life slip away. He could see his red string starting to vanish. As he looked down at her, a memory surfaced in his mind. A passage he had read in a tome when he was child. It had been the first book of magic he had managed to keep hidden from his family, the one that lead him to learning his magic. "There is something _I _can do to save her," he whispered drawing attention to himself. "After all, there is more than one way to fulfill a prophecy."

King Mortain figured out what he meant a split second later. "No, I forbid you to do this! If you go through with it you'll…"

"If it will save her life and bring an end to this war, than I will do what is needed. You and mother taught me that my duty is to our people. That nothing else matters except when it comes to protecting your family. She's my wife! I made a vow to her."

Taro spoke up, "A vow to the enemy, a girl who was forced into this situation. She could reject you, even take you down with her. Is it worth the risk?" Daichi punched Taro in the gut and then held him up in the air. "If you have nothing positive to say then be silent! My master is in charge of his own destiny, not you," he growled before tossing him to the ground. He watched as Nori ran up to his master's side whimpering. Kentaru petted him, giving him encouraging words.

With determination on his face, he hugged his adoptive parents' tight and whispering goodbyes to his friends. The mages and the Spirits looked on puzzled. What was he going to do that would cause this reaction? Kentaru spoke one last time, in a tender voice to Loke and Natsu. "Take care of her, love and protect her, with all your might. Despite what you think of me, know that I truly loved her more than life."

* * *

Taking her hand once more he whispered a spell. His lock necklace glowed brightly. Tendrils of different colors sprouted out of it and started to cover his body. At the same time those same tendrils appeared on Lucy. A huge black magical circle appeared underneath the two. The tendrils on Lucy sucked some celestial energy that traveled through her body. When it touched her monster side, that side turned white and transparent, at the same time it was happening as Kentaru's true form started to dissolve. The mages watched in disbelief as the two forms came together as a gem grew in their clasped hands.

It was a huge moonstone that kept growing. Inside, the silhouette of the two monster forms grew. They held hands as a heart grew around them. Once it was finished growing, it floated into the air spinning around, sending glitter all over the battlefields creating boundary lines across the entire peninsula.

Tearing their gaze from the moonstone, they looked at the couple again. Kentaru was once more in his human form, but he didn't look good. He was aging rapidly until his body fell over dead. Something rose from the body, a sphere of light. After shedding a layer, it traveled through the remains of the string into Lucy's magic core. Her body jerked in the air and twisted before settling down. Her celestial side faded inside her once more as her human form took over. She started to breath normally again as life flooded back into her. Tears appeared on her face.

The magic circle vanished. The moonstone floated into Queen Brighantia's hands. She was shedding tears. Corvusina looked at the stone whispering the last lines of the prophecy. _"Triumphant victory will be ours as those spirits of skies fall, humans be caged as monsters roam free. The opposites now as one, will reign for centuries to come until the heir of their power comes of age and once again protects are freedom from the heavenly spirits." _

Daichi, who was holding a grieving Nori, thought over the words. "Our victory was the successful transformation and marriage of the heirs. Spirits have fallen. We do roam free on the surface now, no longer sealed away as humans stay within their boundaries caged by fear of us." He looked down at the ground, he couldn't believe his master was gone.

King Nain looked at the moonstone, understanding the rest of the prophecy. Two opposites, a princess of the stars, who chose the transformation, and, a prince of monsters, who chose to give up everything for love, had become one in this stone. Moonstones took a long time to form. When this stone broke another would have formed, still containing the powers of the heirs to ensure they remained free.

Natsu gently picked up Lucy in his arms, holding her close. He felt his string getting stronger and the tug from Loke was still there, but not as strong as his. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the two sets of royals talking with one another. Daichi was collecting the locks as Hoshi started to free the trapped spirits. Erza and Gray seemed to be in the midst of things as they argued with the adviser and seeress. Wendy was comforting a distraught Onyx and Nori, with the Exceeds help.

He tuned it all out, watching Lucy slowly breathe. Tears kept sliding down her face as she whimpered. He saw her hands trying to clutch something invisible. "You're safe now Lucy. Don't worry, that monster can't hurt you anymore. Why won't she wake up?" he surprisingly whispered to himself. Was she still afraid that Kentaru was holding her as a prisoner? He jumped when someone touched his shoulder, but relaxed when he saw it was Loke. The lion was carrying a small urn and placed it in Lucy's hands. Instantly she relaxed and the tears stopped.

"I don't understand, what did you give her?" He looked past his friend and saw the ashes were gone. Also everyone else was standing down as Hoshi's spell came undone. With his enhanced hearing and smell, he could tell the war was over. What in the world was going on here? Seeing his confusion, walked over to him and explained in a gentle tone.

"The war is over Natsu, there's been enough death on each side. The monsters have what they always wanted; freedom from their prison. To live on Earthland once more. The Celestial Spirits have their princess back. The cost of this war was too high." She looked back at the crying dwarf and fairy feeling their pain and loss. "King Mortain and Queen Brighantia have lost their only child."

"Kentaru might not have been born to them, but it all the ways that matter he belong with them and they loved him. Kentaru gave up his life, both of them, to save Lucy. By releasing his monster form and binding it to hers, with the help of a celestial spark and string of fate, their joined for an eternity inside the moonstone. Never to be free again," Loke stated, pushing back his own mixed feelings. "Without his monster side to keep him alive, his human body crumbled to nothing as his soul merged with hers, restoring her humanity so she can live, with her magic still intact along with her Celestial form." Finally Natsu understood, Kentaru for all the evil he did, truly loved Lucy and gave his life for her. He had to respect that.

* * *

A week had passed since the end of the Second Spirit/Monster War. Everyone was picking up the pieces. In the end, the death toll was; a hundred monsters, seventy five Celestial Spirits, and surprisingly no human deaths. Somehow everyone human that had been injured had miraculously survived. The damage was also not as bad as first thought. Already towns were rebuilding and mages across the countries did their best to help.

For now there was a truce between all sides. The monsters had enough to deal with reconstructing their society and finding homes in their boundaries, to deal with anybody. The Celestial Spirits had returned home to start the process of mourning their fallen friends. While all this was happening, in the castle of the King of Fiore, in a beautiful guest room lay a sleeping Lucy. She hadn't woken up once since her life was saved. Hisui, after the battle, had contacted them, saying she had resources that could help with Lucy's recovery. Not having a better idea, Team Natsu had brought her to the capital, staying there to keep an eye on her.

Hisui entered the guest room along with Hoshi. A magical doctor was already in there, finishing his checkup. He packed up his healing crystals and bowed to the Hisui. "You're Highness, always a pleasure to see you."

"As it is to see you, Dr. Avalor. Please, can you tell me what's going on with my friend please? Everyone is wanting to know when she'll awaken," the green haired princes asked with a bit of worry in her voice. She could also sense Hoshi's concern for her friend.

"Ms. Heartfillia body has completely recovered from her transformation. My healing sessions have helped restore her magic to normal levels and all her keys, along with her whip, respond to her. I've run dozens of tests and the only reason I can come up with why she isn't responding, is that she doesn't want to wake up."

Both the Princess and High Priestess looked at each other in understanding. Going through an experience like that, along with the death of someone you were connected to, many wouldn't want to face reality. Also, this could be self-inflected punishment for making a choice that ended up hurting a lot of people. If that was the case, both girls worried that Lucy would lapse into a coma and die.

"Is there anything we can do to help her? There are so many people wanting to see her wake up. Dozens of them are in the castle this moment praying for her," Hoshi stated. It was true. Every day more and more Celestial Spirit Mages had arrived at the palace after receiving invitations from Hisui, back when she had been asked to make a list of all mages to form a registry. They had all arrived in anticipation of meeting the Star Maiden Princess and hearing her talk to them.

"You can help, by telling her that if she remains like this, there's a chance that she'll develop Broken Heart Syndrome that could kill her," Dr. Avalor replied. With another bow, he left as the girls sat down next to Lucy.

After some time, both girls took turns talking to her. Reminding her about all the people that loved her. Mentioning Kentaru wouldn't have given his life for her if he didn't want her to go on living. That even if heart was breaking, there was already someone here to help her through tough times. That she wasn't the first Celestial Spirit Mage to make a bad choice. Hoshi mentioned she was still repenting for her actions and Hisui deeply regretted her part in the Eclipse Gate plan.

"Both of us accept our accountability. Others have forgiven us, but we need to do penance in order to forgive ourselves. Allowing yourself to die is no way to honor those who fought for you," Hoshi reminded her.

"So much has been lost already. Do you really want to waste the sacrifices others made? You're the true Star Maiden, the Princess of Celestial Spirits. The greatest Celestial Mage in our generation. Fairy Tail never give up and neither should you. Your parents will wait for you until the time is right, but it's not now. Please wake up," Hisui pleaded gently.

All was still for a moment. Suddenly Lucy's hands started to unclasp the urn as Hoshi caught it before it fell to the ground. Lucy took a huge breath as her eyes fluttered open. Pushing herself up in the bed, tears fell from her face. Tears of both sadness and joy as she embraced her sister mages. It was a long road for recovery, but with the help of all those who loved her, Lucy knew that she would make it.

* * *

Two days later, every Celestial Mage had assembled inside the same grand ballroom that had hosted the end of the Magical Games Tournament. Everyone was having a good time, either eating the feast or discussing their spirits. Some even were dancing around. Suddenly a gong sounded and the doors to the balcony opened. Everyone turned their attention upwards as Hisui, Hoshi, and Lucy, in her Star Maiden Princess form, entered the room. Cheers erupted almost instantly as they all connected with their Star Maiden's aura.

Hisui raised a hand as everyone quieted down. "Welcome Celestial Spirit Mages from all over Fiore. It is great honor to have you assembled today. We've come together to not only strengthen our bonds between ourselves and our spirits, but also to witness our Star Maiden Princess, performing her duties. I know present to you, the True Star Maiden and the Beloved Princess of the Celestial Spirits; Lucy Heartfillia Celestial!" More cheers went up as Lucy stepped forward.

Gazing down at all the mages she felt her heart connect with each of them. She could sense their honesty, their joy, and most importantly the love they felt for their spirits. Even though only a few months had passed since her coronation, she was proud of all that had been gained up until now. Standing up straight and tall, she had a look of determination on her face. She let her aura flare as her birthmark shimmered brightly. "Greetings to all of you. I'm so happy to see you all here. So much has happened in such a small amount of time. We've learned so much, about our shared history with the spirits and what we're capable of." She paused for a minute placing her stamped hand over her heart. She reached down for all her keys stroking each of them with tender love. "It's been a time of new friends and challenges. I never dreamed that some as amazing as becoming a princess and adoptive daughter to the Celestial Royals would happen. Nor did I ever suspect that a choice I made, might hurt the ones I love."

There were murmurs throughout the crowd. Lots of them couldn't believe that someone as powerful and great as Lucy could ever make a bad choice. Others knew from their spirits what had happened, but most didn't blame her. In fact the entire crowd sympathized with her because of the impossible situation she had been. Who could willing sever a red string of fate or not become close to the people who captured you and cared for you after being alone for so long?

Feeling their love and understanding, Lucy gathered the crowd's attention once more, by simply raising her left arm. Writing had appeared on her arm along with an image. It became bigger and brighter until they could read the word, Kurma and see the image of a giant tortoise appeared in the air. "I carry the name and image of a fallen Celestial Spirit. Kurma gave his life to protect his fellow spirits in a battle along the coast. This is my penance and way to honor the dead. I will carry on in his memory. My friends here also carry a name and image as well. It's my hope that we can become living reminders of everyone who has suffered in this war."

All together every girl raised their arms or showed some skin. Casting a powerful spell, Lucy gave them each a magical tattoo, that would be visible to the Celestial Mages at all times, but invisible to others when they wished it. Hoshi stepped forward as Lucy shuffled back. As a Celestial Spirit High Priestess, it was her duty to perform the final rights for the fallen.

"Please touch your tattoo and hold for a few seconds." They did as asked and the broken key remains appeared in their hand. Holding their palms flat out the remains hovered in the air. Bowing their heads in silence as Hoshi started to eulogize. "Honorable spirits from the stars, we thank you for your tremendous service and your faithful bond with all of us. Our hearts weep for our fallen friends and family."

A small portal formed at the top of the domed roof. The broken keys slowly started to ascend to the portal back home. Anyone who took a quick glance up, saw that the Celestial Spirits who survived, standing on the edge, watching the proceedings. Each girl prayed silently for the lost spirit, whose name they now bore.

"We return your keys to your sacred realm, where you can rest among your kind forever, your stars will still burn bright in you name. In this day of sorrow, we renew our sacred pact, our promises to you. We pledge our friendship, love, and loyalty to all spirits. As they have been there for us, we vow to be there for them no matter what the danger is. It is our honor and responsibility to protect your keys in exchange for the trust you have given us. We work together, two as one. So mote it be."

From both sides of the portal the last words were repeated. With a steady hand, Hoshi zapped the key remains turning them into Stardust. A new bowl formed around the glittering dust as it was retrieved by new star spirits. The portal closed. Black and white banners unfurled themselves on the walls, revealing each spirit who had died. Hoshi asked if anyone want to give a eulogy and several did, sharing stories and memories of their time with their spirits. Finally the funeral ended. Princess Hisui asked each of them to sit down at the tables for there was once more thing to be done before this gathering was complete. She stepped back as Lucy stepped forward.

* * *

"Today is a new start for all of us gathered here. I will always remain the Star Maiden Princess, but today I am happy to bestow this honor to not one, but _two_ brave and amazing Celestial Mages who went beyond the call of duty to help, not only myself, but both human and spirits." She gestured for Hisui to come forward and kneel. Placing her left hand over Hisui's heart, she started to chant in the language of the spirits.

A silver heart shape outline appeared underneath Lucy's hand. Silver stars fell all over Hisui as skin started to glow. The Princess of Fiore felt her magic core getting bigger. She listened as the words Lucy chanted started to make sense. _"Princess Hisui Fiore, you opened the Eclipse Gate, something no Celestial Mage should have done. Through you're quick actions, bravery, and caring nature, you've earned redemption. As the starlight descends upon this Celestial Mage, bless her with the gifts of being a Star Maiden. I, the Princess of the Celestial Spirits, grant you the following gifts: to be able to speak and understand our native tongue, to visit the Celestial World whenever you chose, and lastly your duty per title. You shall be our historian, the protector of our history, to register any new Celestial Spirits. Stand up Star Maiden Hisui, embrace your new title and life." _

The Princess of Fiore stood feeling stronger than ever before. Her skin still shone like gentle moonlight. Looking down at her heart, a new birthmark had appeared. A silver heart with a shooting star in the center. A symbol of her new status.

Hoshi kneeled next, her body outlined in green as Lucy touched her right upper arm. Something was glittering beneath the hand. Once more, Lucy chanted in the language of the stars. It was easy to translate what she was saying because Hoshi also knew the language. _"My friend and rival, you have grown into a strong, compassionate, and a wonderful Celestial Spirit High Priestess. Without your help, I would still be lost and our world forever changed. Your redemption period is over. Today you have earned your own Star Maiden title. My blessing to you is that you shall teach Space Magic once more to the people of your village and eventually other worthy mages. I give you the ability to bless sacred sites until they can be reclaimed. I also have a favor to ask. Will you assist others on their paths of redemption? Good, now stand up Hoshi Supernova, embrace your new title and life."_

Hoshi stood up, hear heart sang with joy. She had earned her redemption and her own title as well. Her new birthmark was a green temple surrounded by a circle of stars. She didn't hear the cheers or everyone settling down to enjoy the feast. All she heard was Lucy's blessing over and over again. Finally, after so many years, she felt herself again.

* * *

It was a few days later and small group had assembled in a graveyard in Acalypha Town. All of them wore white/black clothing. They stood in front of the Jude and Layla's graves. Next to Jude, a brand new and beautifully carved headstone, stood next to an open grave. After selling the crystal flowers for a high price she had more than enough money to pay for the plot and the headstone. The headstone read; _Prince Kentaru Lucretius Beastil. Monster Lad, Beloved Son, and Fated Husband. Rest in peace in the jewels of the earth." _

Gently, Lucy started to place items in the grave. Kentaru's favorite kimono, his katana in his right sleeve. Removing her wedding ring, she placed that in his left sleeve. Finally, she laid the urn on his chest and stood up. Knowing that no priest would ever give final rights to Kentaru, she decided to do it herself. Turning around she addressed those who were assembled; her friends, a few spirits, two monster pets, and her adoptive parents.

"I know many of you don't understand why I'm doing this nor do you believe that Kentaru deserves this, even if he saved my life in the end. To everyone gathered here today, Kentaru was, a kidnapper, monster, and threat. He was a vicious, manipulative, and uncaring person," she said in clear voice. She looked at each of them before focusing on Nori and Onyx. She smiled softly looking longingly into the grave. Wiping some tears away she clutched tightly the only crystal flower she hadn't given up. Softly she whispered, "He was more than just that."

"Kentaru grew up in a very strict and uncaring environment. Through his memories he left me, I saw how horrible he was treated simply because he was born with magic. His siblings mocked and beat him. His mother didn't love him and his father tormented him. I researched his family line that survived. The Lucretius Humanity Company still exists today, though not a prominent because they still refuse to work with non-spells and use any form of magical transportation," she explained. It went without saying what they would do if they found a family member or a mage working for them? It went without saying, they either abandon, fire, or maybe even kill someone.

Listening to Lucy describe the good things about Kentaru, made Natsu a little jealous. He was angry still that she had shared a part of herself with that man. His feelings wavered a pit as compassion and understanding came to him. In some ways Kentaru had been just like him. Lost and alone, with no one to love him. That could affect anyone. Kentaru was a monster, but he had also been a human who truly loved his adoptive parents, subjects, and Lucy. That was the person she was honoring today.

Lucy had stopped speaking. She had turned to the grave praying silently for Kentaru's soul inside her. Promising to live on and care for Nori every time he visited. That she would do her best to ensure another war never broke out. With a final goodbye everyone gathered help fill in the grave and smooth out the dirt as the headstone was moved into its proper place. With care, the crystal flower was placed on his grave. Nori let out a howl as she comforted the rag dog creature. Life would never be the same again. An image appeared before her eyes of Kentaru smiling happily. He mouthed the words "I love you Star Maiden Princess Lucy forever," and then he was gone for good.

* * *

After that, everyone left her alone for a little while to mourn. Everyone, but Natsu who walked over to her and knelt beside her. "I'm, I'm…I'm sorry for your loss. I can relate to how you're feeling, you know after Igneel died and his soul was dispersed, I tried everything to forget the pain. It doesn't work. Being with your loved ones is the only way to start healing"

Lucy nodded, her gaze looking at her parents grave. Remembering seeing their souls made her sad again. Then she recalled what they said about her choices. That it was never wrong to follow your feelings and walk to the end of the path. She moved her hand and placed it on top of Natsu. "Thank you Natsu, for always being there for me. I know how difficult this situation must be for you. I want you to know something," Lucy said.

Natsu silenced her by drawing her close. They looked at one another before the kissed softly and a warm feeling made some of the hurt go away. A bristled meow stopped the kiss. "Oh Onyx, don't be mad. I'm always going to miss Kentaru, but you and I need to slowly start a new life. Think about it, you get to play with all the Exceeds." The young Cath Sith kitten meowed again rubbing against her owner. Who knew, maybe living with a human and getting to know her mistress's friends and guild would be fun.

"Um do you want to have dinner tonight? Together maybe?" Natsu asked nervously. It felt really weird to ask her out in front of the grave of her husband, but seeing Lucy's face, she wasn't disturbed at all. He swore he heard Kentaru's voice in his head again saying, "Treat her well."

That night back in Magnolia Town, Natsu was nervous. He had taken a bath, put on clean clothes, and combed his hair. He'd bought a single flower for Lucy and actually knocked on the door and waited to be let in.

Lucy, opened the door. She had switched out of her funeral wear and was wearing a simple blue shirt and a comfortable pair of dress pants. "Hi Natsu, come in. I made a simple meal. Hope you like it." She took the flower and put it in a vase as they settled down for a simple meal in bento boxes. They ate together and talked, really talked for the first time. As the night wore on they enjoyed each others company. Right before Natsu left the danced together, to a song Lucy had picked especially for them. "There's a Place for Us," by Carrie Underwood.

_There's a place out there for us. More than just a prayer or anything you've ever dreamed of. So when you feel like giving up, cause you don't fit in down here. Fear is crashing in, close your eyes and take my hand yeah._

_We can be the kings and queens of anything if we believe. It's written in the stars that shine above. A world where you and I belong. Where faith and love will keep us strong, exactly who we are is just enough. There's a place for us, there's a place for us._

_When the water meets the sky. Where your heart is free and hope comes back to life. When these broken hands are whole again, we'll find what we've been waiting for. We were made for so much more._

_We can be the kings and queens of anything if we believe. It's written in the stars that shine above. A world where you and I belong. Where faith and love will keep us strong, exactly who we are is just enough. There's a place for us, there's a place for us._

_So hold on, hold on. There's a place for us._

_We can be the kings and queens of anything if we believe. It's written in the stars that shine above. A world where you and I belong. Where faith and love will keep us strong, exactly who we are is just enough. Exactly who we are is just enough. There's a place for us." _

It was the perfect end to a start of a new path for Lucy. The experience had not only made her stronger. It had also helped her understand her feelings for all her fated loves. As she watched Natsu leave and cuddled Onyx close to her, she knew the rest of her life had changed forever.


End file.
